Of Deer and Lillies
by CrazedAnimeAddict
Summary: Noemi Yuri was neglected since day one. But, finally, someone helps her in a way no one ever had. The Number One Coward. But she's blind to love, having never felt it. ShikamaruxOC --Re-written--
1. Zero Acceptance

(Noemi means beautiful one.)

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto. I am by no means Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

"Henge!"

"Yes, very good, Yuri. I'm impressed." Iruka paused to smile, but it quickly faded.  
"I only wish Naruto preformed as well as you do. He misses half the lessons due to pulling pranks."

Yuri dispelled the henge, and then bowed her head, her face turning slightly pink. She was always held responsible for his actions.

"Naruto, stop!" A male voice called. Everyone's faces turned to the door, and a boy dressed in black rushed by the window, followed by two Chuunin.

"N-Naruto!" Yuri stammered, running to the window.

Iruka sighed, walking towards the door.

"I'll be back in a moment, class. Behave yourselves."

He left, and a blonde flipped her hair back. Yamanaka Ino.

"Yuri, your friend's such a baka! How do you put up with him?"

"H-he's not a baka... he's just misunderstood-"

"Misunderstood!" A boy named Nara Shikamaru interrupted.

"More like misintelligent."

The class laughed, and Yuri looked at Shikamaru as if to ask, 'why'd you even have say anything'?

She sank into the shadows, biting her bottom lip and staring at her feet as she listened to their jeers.

"How can she stick up for that idiot?"

"I'll bet she's just as stupid!"

"She's the one who's "misintelligent"!"

Iruka entered the academy with Naruto, who tied the blonde up and set him in the front of the class. Everyone took their seats.

"Listen, Naruto. You failed the last final exam and the exam before that. You shouldn't be fooling around like this," Iruka lectured Naruto.

Yuri gazed sympathetically at Naruto from her seat in the back of the room.

Iruka smiled deviously and pointed at the rest of the class.

"We're going to have a review test for the transformation technique! Those who have passed have to line up as well!"

The class groaned.

"What!"

* * *

As everyone lined up, Yuri rushed to be besides Naruto, hoping to give him confidence.

"Haruno Sakura going! Henge!"

"Okay," Iruka commented.

"I did it! Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, looking towards the raven haired boy.

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke pulled his hands out of his pockets and preformed a henge even better than Sakura's.

"Next, Uzumaki Naruto."

"This sucks," Shikamaru commented from behind Naruto.

"This is all your fault," Ino agreed.

"Like I care," Naruto snapped, stepping forward.

Naruto stepped forward and preformed henge, but instead of transforming into Iruka, Naruto became a blonde girl, covered by nothing other than smoke.

Iruka flew back, blown away by a severe nose-bleed.

Yuri's face ran bright red as she recalled the events of the evening before last.

* * *

**Yuri stepped out of the shower, turning the water off. **

**She had taken a shower after training with Naruto. Just as she finished wrapping a towel around her body, Naruto barged in, and headed towards the toilet, ready to pull his pants down. **

**Yuri shrieked on instinct, making the oblivious boy aware of her presence. **

**Naruto looked up at her in the nick of time, and he coughed, then laughed. **

**"Thanks! That's exactly the inspiration I needed!" **

**He gave her a thumbs up, hugged her, then ran from the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. **

**Yuri stood there, speechless. **

**She was in a towel. Her nearly saw her** naked**, and then he** hugged **her.**

**She tried her best to shake the thought off, and then dressed herself. **

**As Yuri stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Naruto practicing henge. She smiled, pleased that he was doing something constructive for once, and decided to get some food from the kitchen. When she stepped out of the kitchen, what she saw made her choke on her sandwich. **

**"Waddaya think, Yuri-kun? Like my new technique? I call it my Harem jutsu!" **

**Even if she wanted to answer, she couldn't have, because she was too busy trying not to get killed by the sandwich. **

**She quickly left and went back to her own home in the slums.**

* * *

Naruto laughed hysterically and pointed at Iruka.

"How was that?" He grinned. "I call that the seduction technique."

"You idiot!" Iruka boomed, nearly blowing Naruto off of his feet. "Don't invent such a dumb technique!"

At the end of the day, Iruka had forced Naruto to clean the mess he made, which was painting on the Hokage's faces.

Yuri shook her head, and continued on her way.

She didn't feel like going home; it wasn't like she had anything to do there. Or anyone waiting at home. So, instead, she toured the less crowded streets of Konoha.

"Oi! Yuri, just the person I need."

Yuri froze. No one had ever told her that they needed her, so naturally, she whipped around to face the speaker. She saw Shikamaru Nara.

_"What's he need from me?"_ Yuri pondered as he walked up to her.

"You... you need me?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah," He replied. He shoved a small scroll into her hands. Yuri stared at it, perplexed.

"It's mom's shopping list. I've got better things to do than shop for her, so you can do it for me, can't you?"

"Oh... o-okay..." Yuri muttered.

Of course. Typical of someone who was so lazy.

"Good." With everything said and done, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off.

"And, don't tell my parents that I asked you to do that, ne?"

Yuri nodded, and then set off to fetch Shikamaru's mother's items.

* * *

"S-Shikamaru... I have your mother's groceries... Shikamaru?"

Yuri had thought that she had seen Shikamaru around here earlier, but he was nowhere to be found now.

"Hey... who's there?" A bored voice asked.

Yuri turned around in time to see a yawning Shikamaru sit up from the grass.

"Oh, it's just you," He responded, turning to see the girl with a bag of groceries in her hand.

He eyed the groceries, then her.

"About time. I was beginning to think I'd have to face my mom and tell her I gave the list to some girl who didn't come back." Shikamaru shuddered, as if horrified by the thought.

Yuri remained silent as Shikamaru stood up and lazily relieved her from the groceries.

_"Some girl..."_ She repeated in her head.

_"Is that all that I am... in everyone else's eyes?"_

Shikamaru then walked home, without another word to her.

Yuri sat down in the grass and stared up at the setting sun. Tonight would be a cloudless night, the best night there is.

* * *

Yuri lay in the grass even after sunset, her hand in the air. Her hand cupped around the bigger stars, wishing that she could hold them in her hand.

"You're in my spot," Shikamaru griped, causing Yuri to jump.

She sat up and turned around to see a bored expression on his face. Nothing unusual.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru," Yuri murmured, scooting over to make room for him.

Shikamaru didn't reply, only sat down. There was about two feet's space between the two, and Yuri still felt awkward in the presence of him.

"What was that you were doing?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh... n-nothing... I was trying to..." Yuri began. Shikamaru didn't seem to enthusiastic to find out by his tone, but she began to answer anyways.

"'Trying to...' what?" He inquired.

"Trying to... hold a star in my hand."

Shikamaru snickered. Exactly the reaction Yuri had anticipated.

"You can't hold a star in your hand. It's just simple logic."

Funny, hearing that come from someone who found it too bothersome to even pick a pencil up.

"I know I can't... but that's why I try. It gives me something to occupy my time. I have nothing better to do."

Shikamaru paused.

"Don't you have parents? Any family at all? What are you doing out this late?"

Yuri smiled inwardly. She had never seen the lazy boy ask so many questions, even in class. He always seemed to be the one who had all of the answers.

"No, I have no parents. My entire family are gone... somewhere, a place much better than here. And, I like star gazing. What about you?"

Shikamaru shrugged and lay down in the grass, folding his hands behind his head.

"My father doesn't care, and as long as my mother doesn't know I'm out after eight, she doesn't care either."

Yuri smiled again.

"So, in short, you snuck out?"

"Pretty much. Eight thirty as a bedtime is so bothersome."

"I see."

All was silent for a while. There was the faint sound of Shikamaru yawning. Then everything was silent again.

"So, you're Naruto's girlfriend, ne?"

"What!" Yuri blurted, sitting up.

"No! Naruto and I are just friends, and that's all we'll ever be. He's my only friend, and I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship over something as trivial as that."

"Oh." Shikamaru paused.

"Wait. You said Naruto is your only friend?"

Yuri suddenly found her feet interesting, brushing her fingers at imaginary dirt.

"You mean you couldn't tell?" She asked softly, draping her arms over her knees.

Shikamaru hesitated, unsure of how to reply to that.

"Everyone puts me down. Everyone disrespects me. Everyone but Naruto. You never noticed that before now?"

Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't care.

"I never paid any attention to it."

Yuri blinked. What Shikamaru failed to notice, was that he was one of those people who disrespected her and put her down all the time. His favorite was a word that wasn't even real. "Misintelligent".

She finally stood up, growing tired of the awkward silence, and the even more awkward conversation.

"I'm going home. I need to get some rest."

Shikamaru acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and didn't even give her a fleeting glance as she walked away.

* * *

Yuri woke up the next morning in her slum home, then after a shower and getting dressed, she headed towards the Ichiraku Ramen bar, where she met Naruto every morning.

To her surprise, Naruto wasn't there. She waited until seven thirty, half an hour, and still no Naruto.

"Strange," She mused aloud. "Naruto never misses out on ramen..."

"Naruto ditch you?"

Yuri turned to the speaker. The lackluster academy student hardly regarded her.

"Good morning, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru waved her greeting off casually, then sat down on the stool beside of Yuri.

"No, I think it's most likely that Naruto slept in again. It's not like him to skip ramen, especially if I'm the one paying for it."

"So, you pay for his food too?"

"...Yeah..."

"Ha ha... and I thought women were troublesome. Naruto's no different."

"Naruto... is really a handful..."

"So, you watch over him like a mentor, too?" Shikamaru inquired, ordering a bowl of mackerel sushi.

"Well, he's more like a brother to me, an equal, not someone who is under me."

"But technically, you are over him. Naruto's an idiot, and you, on the other hand, have excellent chakra control and intelligence that surpasses even Sakura. As for your jutsu, I wouldn't know, I haven't seen it."

Shikamaru's words only complexed her.

"If you think that I'm intelligent, then why do you always call me "misintelligent"?"

"Do you overanalyze everything? How troublesome..." Shikamaru complained.

Yuri wondered what he could really mean by that. Soon Shikamaru's mackerel came, and she officially deemed the conversation over.

* * *

"We will now start the final exam," Iruka announced from the front of the classroom.

Yuri had found out that Naruto had indeed slept in, and was nearly late for class.

"If your name is called, come to the classroom next door. The subject will be the replication technique."

Yuri gasped and glanced over at Naruto. He was clutching the sides of his face.

_"Oh no... This is bad on Naruto's part,"_ She thought as she felt for Naruto. She knew that was his worst area in techniques.

"...Nara Shikamaru, you're up next!"

As Shikamaru passed Yuri's desk, she smiled at him.

"Good luck," She whispered.

Shikamaru acknowledged her remark with a glance, but nothing more.

He soon returned, and a smile graced even his lips, signaling that he had in fact passed.

"Next, Noemi Yuri!"

Yuri nodded, and then walked into the classroom.

"Alright, Yuri, all you have to do is create three usable clones, and you pass!"

Yuri nodded. She had no trouble creating clones, but she knew that Naruto would never be able to create three clones. She trained with him often, and he could barely produce one clone, let alone three. Naruto was sure to fail... With that in mind, she sacrificed for her friend.

"Henge!"

Smoke billowed around her body, and a limp, useless version lay beside her. This was the same outcome that Naruto always had.

Iruka looked shocked.

"Yuri, you're being pressured, aren't you? I know you can do better then that... you're one of my most talented students!"

"O-okay..." Yuri replied.

She thought about what others would say, about how they would react to finding out that she, when Shikamaru had said she was more talented than Sakura, had failed. She made up her mind, and bitterly stuck with her decision.

"Henge!"

Again, a vain clone laid there.

Iruka sighed.

"I'm sorry, Yuri, but I can't pass you... you fail."

Yuri nodded, and then walked out of the room.

"Hey, Yuri! You passed, right?" Naruto asked, a nervous expression on his face.

Yuri smiled sadly.

_"I could have..."_

* * *

Yuri laid in the grass like the day before, thoughts running through her head. Naruto had failed, just like she had predicted. Everyone else had passed. Many were shocked to find that Yuri had failed the exam, but quickly got over it, as they had their own success to gloat over.

"I can't believe you failed. Such a troublesome woman."

Yuri didn't need to look to know who it was. She had already familiarized herself with that bored voice. Shikamaru sat down beside her.

"There's no way you could have failed. Even the idiots passed. Well, besides Naruto, that is-" Shikamaru was cut off by his own thoughts.

"That's it, isn't it?" He demanded.

Yuri remained silent.

"It's because of Naruto. You were afraid of moving on without him. You did say that he was your only friend."

"I failed on purpose because I didn't want Naruto to be by himself. I'm his only friend, and I won't leave him behind me."

Shikamaru stared at her.

"Why do you care about him? Does he mean that much to you that you would fail?"

Yuri smiled sadly for the second time that day.

"He's the only thing that holds me together. Without any family, and only one friend, if I were to lose him... I would most likely lose myself."

"Lose yourself, huh... you're such a troublesome woman."

Everything was quiet, until Shikamaru spoke again.

"Maybe Iruka-sensei would give you and Naruto a second chance to graduate."

Yuri shook her head.

"Naruto cannot produce even one decent clone, let alone three..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Why do you want to help me anyways, Shikamaru?"

"I don't," Shikamaru replied quickly.

Yuri grinned.

"I... really wanted to be a ninja... to be the perfect kunoichi..."

"Nobody's perfect."

"But I like to think there's something perfect out there... I'm just not one of those things..."

Shikamaru groaned.

"How troublesome..." He complained, standing up, dragging Yuri behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to the academy. Iruka's going to pass you."

"But it's too late. I have to wait until next-"

"Just shut up and watch."

"Shika-kun..."

"Since when did you start giving out nicknames?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Since when did you start caring whether I pass or fail the academy exam?"

"Because I know you can do better. You're ignoring your own abilities, and it's really troublesome. Secondly, I don't like to see women hurt."

"I-I am not hurt!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"You're mentally depleted, then."

Arriving at the academy, Shikamaru groaned. The two were informed that Iruka wasn't there at the moment, and neither was Mizuki or the Hokage.

"Oh man... I walked all the way here, just to be sent back again? How troublesome..."

Shikamaru looked over at Yuri.

"Well, there's nothing more I can do. I'm going home."

"Okay... thank you, Shikamaru."

* * *

Yuri was asleep at home, until there was a knock at her door, followed by a thud and a cry of worry.

She leapt out of her bed and ran into the next room to find her door lying on the floor, and a stressed Iruka.

"Oh, sorry, Yuri, I didn't think it would fall in like that..."

Yuri smiled, honestly not bothered at all.

"It's okay. It always happens."

Iruka looked sympathetically at his student.

"I really wish you wouldn't live under these conditions," He lectured, scanning the peeling walls and carpetless concrete floors.

Yuri wanted to change the subject. It was embarrassing having her sensei come to her home and criticize it.

"Did you just come here to mock my living conditions, sensei?"

Iruka focused on the task at hand, and smiled.

"Oh, no, I came to ask you why you aren't at the explanatory meeting. It starts in half in hour."

Yuri's eyes widened in shock.

"Iruka-sensei... I didn't pass, remember?"

Iruka's smile widened.

"Naruto passed the exam. He was given a... second chance, so to speak, and, he passed."

Yuri took in the new information with wide eyes.

"Nara Shikamaru also informed me this morning that you failed on purpose, only because you knew Naruto would fail."

Yuri's face flushed.

"I didn't want to leave him behind-"

"Yes, I understand completely. It's alright. I thought it strange that you would fail, Yuri, of all people. You are one of my most promising students, a real stand-out among the kunoichi. I'm giving you a second chance as well."

Iruka held up a hitaiate, the one that would be hers.

Yuri beamed and preformed the jutsu. In her happiness, she created six clones.

"Is that alright, Iruka-sensei?" They all exclaimed.

Iruka laughed.

"Of course it is! Over-achievers won't be punished, Yuri!"

"Yes!" The original cheered, the clones diminished.

Iruka laughed again as he ask her where she would tie it.

"I'm putting it around my arm!" She piped, doing just that.

"Copying after Shikamaru, are you?"

* * *

When she stepped in with Iruka, Yuri saw Naruto and ran over to him.

"Iruka-sensei was right! You did pass, Naruto!"

"That's right I did! Believe it!"

Shikamaru passed by, and looked stunned.

"Why are you here?" He asked, his question directed towards Naruto. "Today's explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated."

"Hey, can't you see my forehead protector? Starting today, I'm also a ninja!"

Shikamaru's gaze lingered on Yuri, and then he continued on his way.

_"I owe you, Shikamaru..."_

"Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are still new Genin," Iruka lectured from the front of the room.

"It will only get harder from here. You all will be sorted into groups of three, where you will accomplish missions under the instruction of a Jounin sensei."

_"Groups of three?"_ Yuri pondered. _"In that case, I hope I'm in Naruto's team..."_

"The team will be arranged by overall abilities, and will be sorted evenly. I will now announce them."

"...Next, the 7th group. Uzumaki Naruto."

_"Noemi Yuri!" Yuri chanted in her mind._

"... Haruno Sakura..."

_"Noemi Yuri! Please!"_

"...And Uchiha Sasuke."

Yuri groaned, then banged her head on her table. It was all over for her! No matter who her other two team mates were, they wouldn't respect her.

"Next, eighth group. Huuyga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."

"Why do girls like such a guy anyways?" Shikamaru asked dully.

Ino glared at him.

"Don't you know? That's why you're not popular. I'd hate to team up with a guy like you."

"...Tenth group. Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji..."

"Heh! Didn't you say something about hating to have to team up with me?" Shikamaru taunted. Ino growled.

"...and, Noemi Yuri."

Yuri's head perked up.

"Hey!" Ino yelled.  
"Didn't you say groups of three? You just named off four!"

"Yes, I did," Iruka explained. "However, there are an uneven number of students, so I had to have one group of four. Yuri will be with you, Chouji, and Shikamaru, Ino."

Yuri sighed.

_"Well, I am here only because Shikamaru told Iruka-sensei..."_ Yuri mused. _"I guess this is my chance to pay him back, since we're on the same team..."_

"That's it for the groups," Iruka stated.

* * *

"Listen up! As long as we're in the same group, you three are going to follow what I say!" Ino barked.

Team 10 was sitting on the balcony of the Ninja Academy, waiting for their sensei to arrive.

"Want a rice ball, Shikamaru?" Chouji offered from the pile in his arms, completely ignoring Ino.

"Yeah, sure."

Chouji tossed him one, and Yuri sat on the railing across from Shikamaru, deep in thought.

"Give one to the troublesome woman," Shikamaru added, gesturing to Yuri.

Chouji tossed her one, and she almost dropped it, not expecting to be given one.

"Hey!" Ino yelled.

"That's no fair! Give me one!"

She didn't wait for an answer as she went ahead and stole one from Chouji anyways.

"Hey! Over Here, kiddies!" A male's voice called.

A cigarette dangled from his mouth and he had dark eyes.

"Are you our Jounin sensei?" Shikamaru drawled in a bored tone.

"Well, don't get too enthused, now," The man scoffed sarcastically.

"The name's Sarutobi Asuma, and you guys are my soldiers now."


	2. Journey to the Land of Earth

"Your soldiers, huh?" Ino scoffed, hands on her hips.

"Aww man... this sensei's going to be such a drag..." Shikamaru complained, falling back against the railing.

Chouji said nothing, he merely munched on his chips.

"Well, sit down everyone, and let's get to know each other a little better. You know, likes, dislikes, hobbies, ambitions..." Asuma began.

"I'll go first. Like I already told you all, the name's Sarutobi Asuma. What I like..."

Asuma patted one of his Jounin pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"I don't like smart aleck kids, or kids who think they're better than I am. Because I've got news for 'em. They're not. When they get a Jounin vest, then we'll talk. Hobbies... err, I don't have to explain that to you. As for my ambitions... that as well is none of your business."

"Well, that was useful," Ino snorted, rolling her eyes.

Asuma ignored her, pointing at Chouji.

"Your turn, you with the chips."

"Uh... My name's Akamichi Chouji, I like... _munch, munch_... Korean Barbeque, and, _crunch_, snacks. I don't like, _chomp, munch_, diets. Hobbies of mine are trying new foods, and my ambition is to, _munch, munch_, try every food in the world."

"Okay, you, the blonde."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino! I like cosmos, and Sasuke-kun! I don't like Sakura-chan, and never, _ever _will she get Sasuke!" Ino began to ramble on about how much she would make Sasuke hers and Sakura would be jealous.

"What a troublesome woman... to waste her time on love..." Shikamaru stated dully.

"... Anyways, my hobbies include taunting Sakura and staring at Sasuke-"

"Don't you mean "stalking" Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, a hint of a smile on his otherwise bored complexion.

"Shut up, Shikamaru! My ambition is to-"

"Make this Sasuke kid your man, right?" Asuma droned, instantly finding the lit end of his cigarette insteresting.

Apparently, Shikamaru wasn't the only one who was fed up with Ino's constant Sasuke ramblings.

Ino looked insulted as she began to sulk.

"Alright, you, the boy who looks thrilled to be here."

"Yeah, yeah... I'm Nara Shikamaru, I occasionally watch clouds and stars, but that's about all I like. I don't like to move around a lot... it's too troublesome. As for hobbies... Watching clouds, I suppose... and my ambition is to _have _an ambition."

"Alright then... that was very informative..." Asuma retorted.

Shikamaru ignored him and yawned.

"Lastly, you, the quiet one."

"Well... I'm Noemi Yuri. I like flowers, cloud watching and stargazing... I don't like people who intentionally hurt others feeling, just to upgrade their own reputation. My hobbies are... watching clouds and stars, and I like to help people. My ambition... is to be able to prove to everyone that I can become an exceptional shinobi, if just given the chance."

Asuma was quiet a moment, staring at her with interest while he puffed on his cigarette.

"I see," He finally replied, his eyes softening for the first time since he'd met the Genin. "It sounds to me like you'd make a good medical-nin, Yuri, is it?"

Yuri shrugged, tossing the idea around in her head.

"However, I don't want to be a medic-nin. I want to become a good ninja, not necessarily Hokage, but someone others know they can depends on, at least."

A grin broke across their new sensei's face.

"So, you kids seem to have straight head on your shoulders... except for Ino over there, who seems more interested in boys than she is her shinobi skills."

Ino huffed and folded her arms across her chest angrily.

Asuma chuckled, shaking his head.

"Anyways... it's getting late, so you kids can go ahead and go home. But tomorrow, I want to see you guys back here, six a.m. sharp. Don't be late."

"What are we going to be doing that early in the morning?" Ino grumbled.

She picked at her rice ball, which only had one bite out of it, before throwing it out onto the grass, much to Chouji's dismay.

"Aww man... what a drag..." Shikamaru complained, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Chouji made no comment, only munched on his rice ball.

Yuri finished her rice ball, then brushed her hands off.

"I'll explain tomorrow," Asuma replied. "Oh, and another thing-- don't eat, alright? Not unless you wanna be sick."

* * *

"Shikamaru, you're late," Asuma lectured, crossing his arms.

It was six forty-three. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"So what?" He demanded. "That's what you get for expecting so much out of me."

Asuma gave him an exasperated look.

"I only asked you to be here at six."

"Exactly."

Ino giggled, but shut up immediately after Asuma gave her an evil stare.

"Well, because you're the only one who showed up late, the whole team will suffer, Shikamaru."

Chouji gaped. Ino shrieked, balling her hand into a fist. Yuri hung her head.

"I don't care," Shikamaru replied.

Ino lunged at him and covered his mouth with her hands.

"Ehe he he... I'm sure he didn't really mean to say that, Asuma-sensei! He cares! Boy, does he ever care, don't you, Shikamaru? Don't you?"

A muffled "No!" could be heard through Ino's grasp as he struggled to get free. Ino laughed nervously and forced him to nod yes.

Asuma put his index finger to his chin and acted as if he were thinking.

"Well, I suppose, since Shikamaru seems _so_ sincere, I might be able to let the four of you off the hook..."

"Really!?" Ino exclaimed, releasing Shikamaru.

Shikamaru glared at her. If looks could kill, she'd be six feet under.

"Sure, why not. Alright, here's the deal."

Asuma pulled out four cups of ramen, along with chopsticks. All of the genins' faces lit up, especially Chouji's. To their shock, he threw them up into four trees. Chouji's face drooped. Shikamaru groaned.

"So that's our punishment? I'm late, so you throw our food into the highest point of the tree. How troublesome..."

Asuma grinned. He then reached into his bag and pulled out four lengths of rope, stroking them menacingly.

* * *

"What are you waiting for?" Asuma laughed, sitting on a boulder happily snacking on his own ramen.

"Better go get it before it gets cold!!"

"As soon as I can get up, I'll get that food!" Ino screeched, struggling to stand without the use of her arms.

She wriggled around helplessly on her back.

"And then, I'm going to beat you senseless, Asuma-sensei!"

"What a hassle..." Shikamaru groaned.

"I'm hungry..." Chouji whined.

Asuma had tied the four genin's arms behind their backs, pushed them over onto their butts, and then told them if they wanted to eat badly enough, then they would find a way to get to their own ramen.

"Let me guess... is this why you told us not to eat?" Yuri asked, scooting across the field towards Shikamaru.

"Yep. Call it... "motivation", if you will," Asuma replied cheerily.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru demanded when he noticed Yuri pressing her back to hers.

"We're going to have to work together if we're going to get our food," She grinned.

Shikamaru smirked, instantly catching on.

"Teamwork, huh?" He mused aloud. "If that's what I've got to do, then whatever."

The two pressed their backs together and slowly brought their feet together, standing up.

Ino realized what she had to do after watching Shikamaru and Yuri, then scooted over to Chouji.

"Push back!" She barked.

"I'm trying!" Chouji whined.

"Uhggg... that would be so much easier if you weren't such a fatass!" Ino snapped.

"I'm not fat! I'm just a little chubby!" Chouji screeched.

Finally, the two were standing up, but only when Yuri and Shikamaru "troublesomely" helped.

"It's about time," Asuma chuckled.

"You just wait until I eat!" Ino shrieked. "I'm going to pummel you, sensei!"

Ino ran to the tree with her ramen stuck in its branches, then backed up before attempting to run up it. Unfortunately, she only ran approximately two feet up the tree before she slid down and smacked her head on the ground, her feet halfway up its trunk. She had wound up on her back again.

"Arrgg! Stupid tree!" She shrieked, kicking at the trunk madly.

Asuma chuckled, while Shikamaru roared with laughter. Yuri smiled. She'd never seen such a side of Shikamaru. Then again, she thought, he and Ino didn't seem to get along all that well. He probably would've laugh at anything that put her in peril. Shikamaru settled down as he walked over to his tree, which was right beside Ino's. Just like with Yuri, Shikamaru pressed his back against the tree, then tried to prop his feet on Ino's tree. The gap between the trees was too wide.

"Damn it..." He groaned.

He looked over at Yuri. Yuri smiled as she walked over to him, placing her back to his. They then placed their feet on the trunk of the tree, then slowly, they inched their way up the tree.

"What are you doing?" Ino demanded.

Shikamaru didn't answer; partially because Ino would see in a moment, partially because he was afraid that if he spoke, he'd fall down the tree. He was almost to the branch that contained his ramen, when Yuri started to slip.

"Don't you dare fall! This is troublesome enough as it is!" Shikamaru snapped at her.

Soon, they had reached the branch with their ramen, and the two wrapped their legs around opposite branches and swung themselves onto them. Yuri and Shikamaru stood up, then grinned at one another. Shikamaru kicked Ino's ramen onto the ground, which earned a snide comment from Ino. He then jump to the next tree, and picked his ramen up with his teeth. He then jumped down from the branch, as did Yuri, Chouji and her ramen secured in the ropes behind her back.

"Hey Asuma-sensei... we got the ramen. Now how about getting these ropes off me, ne?" Shikamaru asked, adopting his usual monotone voice.

Asuma released the four and gave them their chopsticks. He then cracked his knuckles, turning to Ino.

"So, what were you saying about giving me a good pummeling?"

Ino slurped on her ramen, her eyes closed, completely ignoring her sensei. Asuma laughed, taking out his pack of cigarettes.

"Good answer."

Lighting his cigarette, he gazed over at Shikamaru.

"That was good teamwork, Yuri, Shikamaru," Asuma complimented, watching his new team eat.

Yuri smiled, and Chouji ate as if he hadn't eaten in years.

"And now, I don't have to send you all back to the academy."

Shikamaru nearly choked on his ramen.

"Send us back to the academy? When'd you say that?"

"You showed up late. I had already told the others."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something, but Asuma spoke again.

"We're going to have our first mission tomorrow. I hope you all will be ready."

* * *

_Six D-missions and four C-missions later..._

"What a drag... and you people call these bothersome tasks "missions" ?" Shikamaru asked, adjusting his headset.

"Quit complaining, Shikamaru!" Ino barked. "Just do what you're told!"

"And who died and made you boss, eh?"

"Both of you, knock it off!" Asuma ordered. He sighed.

_"This teamwork thing isn't going anywhere..."_

"Hey, when do we eat...?" Chouji groaned.

"There! I see it!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Where?" Chouji asked.

"I don't see anything!" Ino snapped.

"Are you guys blind? It's right there!" Shikamaru hissed.

"I got it!" Ino screeched, pouncing on the poor puppy.

The dog whimpered under the weight of the girl, and Ino gathered the pup in her arms.

Back at the Town Hall, the owner of the dog cradled her beloved pet, nearly choking it.

"If I were that dog, I would have made a runaway attempt, too," Ino whispered to the rest of her team.

"Whatever. These missions are a drag..." Shikamaru complained.

"I think you kids deserve a more challenging mission," Asuma replied. "It'll teach you a lesson to appreciate the missions you have."

"Well, I think I might be able to make an exception... to a higher C-ranked mission," The Hokage added, taking a puff from his pipe.

"Really?" Ino asked, clasping her hands together.

"Really," Shikamaru pouted. "A higher ranked mission means a harder mission, right? Man, what a drag..."

"So you don't want it?" The Hokage asked, removing his pipe from his mouth.

"Yes! We do! We want the mission, Hokage-sama!" Ino cheered, smacking Shikamaru upside his head.

"Troublesome woman... if you hit me again, I'm going to... ah whatever. You're not even worth it."

"Well, then, what is the mission, Hokage-sama?" Asuma inquired.

"Merely escorting Mamoru here to his home in the Land of Earth."

A scruffy looking man walked out from behind the door. He had long unkempt burgundy hair and wore work clothes with holes in the knees and elbows.

"Him and some others from his village are working on a road that will connect the barren lands to the city so that the Land of Earth will have more commerce and trade, not to mention a greater water supply," The Hokage explained.

"So, where do we come in?" Ino asked.

"You will simply escort Mamoru to his village in the Land of Earth. Then you will return to Konoha."

"Easy enough," Asuma replied.

"So, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," The Hokage replied.

"You can leave, but tomorrow morning at seven, you all will return here, ready to leave."

"Seven sharp, Shikamaru, not seven forty-three," Asuma taunted.

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru replied, leaving the others.

_"The Land of Earth,"_ Yuri thought excitedly. _"I've never been out of the village. This is going to be great!"_

* * *

Yeah yeah, I know, unoriginal. But I don't want Naruto and his team hogging all of the fun! By the way, "Mamoru" means "Earth". Suiting for someone from the Land of Earth, eh?


	3. Traitors and Imposters

Yes, I know, I hate repeating what happened in the trip to the Land of Waves, but this is crucial to the plot. Not everything's the same though, as you'll soon find out!

* * *

"Aw man, this is going to be such a drag..." Shikamaru complained, folding his hands behind his head.

"Stop your complaining, idiot!" Ino scolded.

"Why don't you go bitch at someone else who will stand still long enough to listen and leave me alone?" He retorted snidely.

"Oh, that's it! You're in trouble now, Nara Shikamaru!" The blonde growled, pouncing on the lazy Genin.

Chouji watched the wrestling match, snacking on his chips. Yuri bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

Mamoru sighed, scratching his head with obvious uncertainty.

"You expect me to put my life in the hands of such ignorant, unreliable looking bunch of **kids**?" He demanded, turning to Asuma.

Asuma shrugged, chuckling softly himself.

"Teamwork isn't common among children. You're lucky I'm here, or you'd be as good as dead with these kids," He replied.

Mamoru took a swig of his sake from the flask on his hip, then turned back to the Genin.

"Oi! You fools gonna fight around the gates all day, or are we actually going to get out of the Fire country sometime this year?"

Yuri looked at the scraggly man, then over at Ino and Shikamaru on the ground. Ino was yanking Shikamaru's ponytail, while Shikamaru hand his hand on Ino's face, trying to push her off of him.

"These kids plot to kill me," Mamoru spat in distaste.

"No, I doubt that," Asuma assured his client.

He pat Mamoru on the shoulder.

"Nah. These kids are more determined to kill each other first. You're safe... at least until the others are dead. Right now, it's time to end this bickering."

Asuma then turned his attention to his students and whistled, loud and shrill.

"Nara Shikamaru! Quit flirting with Ino! Yamanaka Ino! You're not invited, so get off of Shikamaru!"

"WHAT!" Ino and Shikamaru exploded.

"What the hell? Me? Flirting with **that**? Don't insult me. The thought alone about makes me sick!" Shikamaru stood up, shoving Ino off of him with a sudden adrenaline.

Ino, however, wasn't as considerate with her selection of words, and spoke so "colorfully", Asuma rose an eyebrow at the girl, while Chouji and Yuri both gasped, their jaws hitting the pavement.

"Nice reaction," Mamoru laughed.

Asuma smiled, lighting a new cigarette.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Asuma-sensei, are we there yet?"

"No, Ino. We would be closer if only you and Shikamaru had laid off on your daily dose of squabbling earlier. I've only known you for three days, and I already can about guess what you will do next."

"So what? This whole trip's a drag..."

"Shinobi are supposed to be unpredictable, yet organized. You four, are _neither_. Were you planning on dying on this trip?"

"..."

Asuma smiled cheerfully.

"I didn't think so."

Mamoru had been eyeing Chouji's chips for some time now, and finally decided to speak up.

"Why don't you share some of those there chips you have, Shoji?"

Chouji glared.

"My name's not "Shoji". And no, you can't have any of my chips."

"Sorry about that, Moegi. Now, about those chips..."

"My name isn't Moegi! And stay away from my chips!" Chouji clutched his chips protectively.

"Err... Yogi?"

"No!"

"C'mon, spread the joy, Iroymi!"

"No! That's not my name!"

"Come now, Ivan. Be polite to your elders."

"Oh for crying out loud," Shikamaru complained. "Just shut up already."

Shikamaru reached his hand in the bag and grabbed the last handful of chips, shoving into his mouth. Mamoru looked defeated.

"That takes care of that."

Save the obnoxious ranting Chouji began about Shikamaru eating, "the best chip in the bag", the rest of the way to Stone village was quiet and uneventful, as Chouji had no more chips. Chouji and Shikamaru talked for a while, then all was silent. Eventually, Chouji tired of the silence and began a conversation with Yuri.

"So, Yuri," Chouji began, his hands behind his head. "What's it like being an orphan? It must be great, right?"

Yuri frowned. She would have preferred if Shikamaru hadn't said anything to her at all. She remembered all the times she had passed a test with flying colors, and wished she had someone to show it to. She recalled looking at kids, watching loving parents give them gifts and surprises for no logical reason at all. Getting tucked in at bedtime, hearing a bedtime story, having someone who genuinely cared for her... she had never experience any of these things. She shook her head.

"Actually, I'd love to have parents..."

"Seriously?" Ino piped up. "They're nothing but trouble. They give you curfews and unreasonable rules to abide by, like cleaning your room and chores that require physical labor."

Asuma laughed aloud, scratching his nose.

"You sounded a whole lot like Shikamaru just now, Ino."

His comment went ignored by everyone but Mamoru, who then struck up a conversation with Asuma about the chore that children always seemed to be.

"But, would you rather do without them?" Yuri inquired softly.

Shikamaru shrugged lazily, yawning.

"We're here," Asuma announced.

Yuri looked around with interest, gawking. Ino and Chouji followed suit. Shikamaru wore his bored expression, though it was still easy to decipher his interest in the village. The streets were graveled, there was little grass, and everything was nearly barren. Carved into a huge mountainside was an entrance into the village.

"This is nothing like Konohagakure..." Yuri whispered to herself.

"Tell me about it," Ino agreed.

"I wonder if they have a Korean Barbeque restaurant here..." Chouji asked to no one in particular.

"Whatever. Let's just get this guy dropped off and head back home..." Shikamaru droned.

"Shikamaru. We're staying here until Mamoru and the others finish building the road," Asuma explained.

Shikamaru groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Aw, man... I just knew this whole trip was going to be a drag..."

"Asuma-sensei?" Yuri inquired. "Just who are we protecting the builders from?"

Asuma shrugged, inhaling on his cigarette.

"No one in particular. Mamoru just wanted us to be here, just in case something happens. We're just overlooking here. Just to be safe."

He snickered, smoke filing out his nose.

"No, Yuri, if there were actually shinobi after the builders, this would be a B-rank or A-ranked mission, not a C-rank."

Yuri looked at her feet, feeling quite foolish for her question.

"Actually, we probably won't have to do much of anything. Some villagers are opposed to the building of the road to the land of Waves, as they are afraid it will bring more crime, so we might have to fend off a few rebelious villagers, but that's the job of the Stone anyways."

"So, sensei, how long do you think we'll be here?" Ino questioned.

"Ah, maybe a week or so."

"A week?" Shikamaru demanded.

He groaned.

"Great... what do we do until then?"

"Whatever you wish," Asuma grinned.

* * *

Yuri lay on the barren earth, watching the clouds. She reached up slowly and made a fist.

"Trying to catch what you can't even touch again, ne?"

Yuri sat up and turned around towards the voice. It was Shikamaru. She smiled and lay back down. Shikamaru lay down beside her. He folded one hand behind his head, reached his other hand up, forming a fist. Yuri blinked.

"I've learned that it's fun to try, though, just like you said."

Yuri smiled, then turned her attention back tot he clouds. Then she thought,

_"Why is Shikamaru here? How does he always manage to find me?"_

"Yuri! Shikamaru! Where are you?"

Ino's voice rang through the entire village. Shikamaru groaned and sat up. Yuri stood up just as Ino rounded the corner of Mamoru's home.

"Shikamaru! Yuri! Come on! Asuma-sensei collapsed at the bridge!"

"What!" Yuri and Shikamaru exclaimed in unison, running after Ino.

* * *

The three arrived at the bridge to find Asuma unconscious on the finished part of the bridge, just like Ino had said.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked, though her tone unworried.

"It's poison," Chouji informed.

"Poison? But who would poison Asuma? There weren't supposed to be any attacks!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"It seems to me that there's someone trying to off your sensei," Mamoru replied, walking with his arms crossed gloomily.

Ino furrowed her eyebrows.

"What are you getting at?" She demanded.

"I'm saying, that your sensei was most likely deliberately poisoned. There were four other builders here with Asuma, and I was at the other end. All of the workers are unconscious as well."

A gray-haired man shook his head.

"We try to build a road for the betterment of the village, and how do the villagers repay us? They poison our workers and a Jounin! This is ridiculous!"

"Jiro, we prohibited any villagers from coming anywhere near the bridge." Mamoru stated solemnly.

Jiro's eyes widened. "The only one near the bridge was..."

He turned and pointed at the young blonde shinobi.

"...Her."

"Hey, wait just a minute!" Shikamaru yelled, enraged.

"Are you suggesting that **Ino** was the one who poisoned your workers and Asuma-sensei?"

"Believe what you wanna," Jiro replied calmly.

"It's just a fact that the only one other than the builders and your sensei that came onto the bridge was Ino."

Ino glared angrily, her temper spiking.

"I didn't poison anyone. Especially not my **own **sensei! Who do you think _you _are, to accuse _me_?"

Yuri frowned.

"Something's not right," She determined, muttering to herself. "Ino wouldn't do that! She wouldn't try to kill someone!"

"Exactly!" Ino yelled.

Mamoru sighed.

"Well, all I know is that your sensei is down, and four of my best workers are poisoned. It looks as if you're going to be staying here a bit longer than expected."

Yuri looked down at the unconscious form of her sensei, then at Ino.

* * *

"Has Asuma-sensei woken up yet?" Yuri asked, stepping into the hospital ward.

Shikamaru shook his head.

"No. He hasn't moved," Chouji replied from the recliner beside of Asuma's bedside.

Shikamaru was sitting backwards on a wooden chair, his arms resting on the top of it. Yuri gazed around the room, but no Ino.

"Hasn't Ino been here?" She inquired.

"No. We haven't even seen her all day," Chouji murmured.

"Oh."

Shuffling across the room, Shikamaru made his way over to the window seat. A clear view of the road construction site was visible. Upon closer inspection, he noticed Ino sitting against a pillar of the hospital tower. Shikamaru frowned.

_"Why isn't Ino up here? She's just sitting there!"_

* * *

Yuri sighed into her bottle. Ino hadn't been to see Asuma for a week. She avoided Shikamaru, Chouji, and Yuri, saying that she had something to do. Once, Shikamaru found her and stopped her, demanding why she hadn't been to visit her own sensei. She replied that she had more pressing matters at hand and she shoved the boy off. She wasn't being her usual bossy self, she was more mysterious. And even more strangely, she hadn't mentioned Sasuke once. It was no secret; something wasn't right with Ino. Shikamaru had his own ideas, but he wouldn't let that on to any of his teammates.

Yuri sipped on the sangaria that Shikamaru had bought her. Shikamaru left the ward to eat, and Yuri asked to go with him. Mamoru, who had finally come up to visit Asuma, put heavy emphasis on this by teasing Shikamaru and Yuri going out on a date. Shikamaru quickly glared at the builder and argued the matter until Yuri asked if would be better if she just went alone.

"Aw, Shikamaru, don't let your girlfriend go alone in the dark streets," Mamoru taunted.

"It's not that dark," Shikamaru snapped. "It's only five thirty. And besides, she's **not** my girlfriend."

"Ya hear that, Yuki?" Mamoru teased. "Your boyfriend's denyin' ya."

Sweat beaded down Yuri's neck.

"H-he's not my boyfriend... and, my name's Yuri, not Yuki..."

"Time's a wastin', and you two lovebird's date's a goin' with it!"

Shikamaru growled.

"You know what old man? Ah, never mind it. You're not worth it. Coming or not, Yuri, I'm leaving. I haven't eaten all day."

Despite Shikamaru's protests to Mamoru that Shikamaru and Yuri's outing wasn't a date, he still ironically paid for everything she wanted.

"Shikamaru?" Yuri began.

"Ne?" Shikamaru answered, hands in his pockets.

"What do you think is wrong with Ino? Do you really think she poisoned Asuma-sensei?"

Shikamaru halted in the middle of the street, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Yuri stopped with him, staring intently.

"No. Ino's a troublesome woman, but she'd never poison a comrade."

"So, what do you think happened...?"

"...I think that isn't Ino at all. There's no question about it; whoever that chick is running around, it _isn't _Ino."

"Ino!" Yuri breathed in disbelief.

"Now, here's our cha-!" Shikamaru was cut off by Ino bulldozing right into him.

She squirmed against Shikamaru's hold as his arms flew around her. But his strength was nothing compared to hers. With a swift blow to his trachea, Shikamaru coughed wildly and doubled over, clutching at his throat. Ino bolted before Yuri had a chance to catch her.

"See what I mean?" Shikamaru demanded, bitterly watching Ino escape.

"Ino doesn't have this kind of srength. That was insane."

"So, what do we do now?" Yuri responded.

Shikamaru remained silent as Yuri finished off her sangaria, rubbing his throat gingerly. She was running towards the unfinished road.

"Let's get Chouji. Then we're going to the road."

* * *

The three Genin stood on the edge of the unfinished road. Shikamaru glanced around, then saw Ino talking to a man in a raggedy brown trench coat.

"So, there they are." Shikamaru pointed to Ino and the man.

"You guys remember the plan?"

Chouji and Yuri nodded, hands hovering over thier shinobi tool holisters. Shikamaru was the first to vanish into the night.

"Kakuremino no Jutsu!"

His teammates followed suit immediately afterwards.

"Remember, don't make a move until I've given the cue." Shikamaru's voice came from the dark, barely above a whisper.

"What about Ino?!" Chouji asked from the shadows.

"We don't know where she is right now, there's not a whole lot we can do. So, forget about Ino."

"R-right," Chouji replied, although it didn't sound like the idea sat well with him.

Yuri and Chouji stood thier grounds as they heard the faint sound of Shikamaru shuffling off towards the imposter Ino and her accomplice. Yuri saw Ino turn in thier directing, raising an eyebrow, a nasty grin spreading across her face.

"What is it?" Demanded a familiar voice.

The cloaked figure scrambled closer to Ino for protection.

"...This is no place for children to be playing."

Before the Genin could react, Ino had pulled a kunai from her holister and threw it into the night. Shikamaru glared at her as he came into view, blood dribbling down his arm. He unsheathed several shuriken between his fingers.

"Children, huh?" Shikamaru asked, flinging his left hand of shuriken at Ino.

Ino's smile faded, and she easily raised her kunai, parrying the attack.

"Vita. Stop toying with this child. We have a job to do."

Yuri looked to see that it was the tall man in the cloak that spoke.

"Of course. I hadn't forgotten."

The voice came from Ino, but it was not her voice that spoke. Ino's imposter, apparently called Vita, released the transformation jutsu to reveal a girl about sixteen. She had shoulder length black burgundy and sad hazel eyes. She had tanned skin, and resembled the man behind her, both wearing indigo cloaks. She also wore bandages on her hands and forearms to her elbows, and the hitaiate of Iwagakure was tied about her neck.

"It was **you** who poisoned Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru accused.

Vita flipped the blade of the kunai downwards. The same twisted smile she'd made Ino wear spread across her own face.

"My apologizes I assulted your sensei. Don't take it personally."

Shikamaru was seething. Vita tilted her head, scanning the area curiously.

"Where are your friends?" She asked.

"Were they too cowardly to fight, and sent you here _alone_?"

From the shadows, Yuri bristled.

_"Come on Shikamaru... Give us the cue..."_

Shikamaru threw the shuriken in his right hand only for them to be deflected by Vita once again.

"Tell me why you poisoned Asuma-sensei and the workers! And what you did with the real Ino!" He demanded.

Vita frowned with mock sympathy.

"I'm afraid those are all things I cannot tell you. The life of the girl called Ino rests in the hands of my father. As for your sensei... I'm sorry, but none of them will be able to survive my Dokugiri."

"Dokugiri?" Shikamaru questioned. "Poison mist?"

"Exactly," Vita replied. "My father kidnapped your friend Ino, while I transformed into her to get onto the road. I then used Dokugiri to poison its inhabitants before the Jounin caught on to me. It was the only way the building of the road could be delayed."

"Why would you want the construction to be delayed?" Shikamaru ordered.

"So many questions," Vita smiled. "And so little time you have."

The tall cloaked man pushed his hood back off of his head. Tilted sideways around his head was the hitaiate of Iwagakure, like the girl beside him. He raised a giant shuriken above his head, grinning sadistically.

"Mamoru!" Yuri breathed in disbelief.

* * *


	4. Wind Jutsu

"If I were you, I'd just lie down on your backs right now. I promise to make this so much more painless if you just embrace your death."

"Funny," Shikamaru retorted, a smile creeping across his lips.

"I was about to say the same thing to you, _creep_."

_"There's the first cue,"_ Yuri acknowledged,

Beside of her, she heard Chouji shuffle lightly. She moved with him, circling around the three combatants, positioning herself behind Mamoru. Without warning, Vita lunged at Shikamaru. He parried the attack at the last second, crying aloud in alarm as he did.

_"She's fast!!"_ He realized.

Shikamaru jumped back several paces, drawing her further and further away from Mamoru. His hands clasped together, his index and middle fingers extended.

"Kagemane No Jutsu!"

_"Now!!"_

Vita swore as she struggled against Shikamaru's Shadow Possession jutsu. Chouji and Yuri stepped out from the night, becoming visible once again. Mamoru whipped around to defend himself with his giant shuriken, but it was too late.

"Baika No Jutsu!"

Chouji's hand instantly grew to what seemed at least seven times its normal size. With a deft swipe, he laid Mamoru flat on his back with a angry grunt.

"Chouji, have you got thie guy?" Yuri asked, eyeing Shikamaru several feet away.

She knew that his jutsu was timed, and he'd need all the help he could get. It was obvious that Mamoru was not accustomed to fighting; getting clobbered so easily by Chouji's jutsu had established that.

"Yeah!" Chouji assured her, balling his enlarged hand into a fist. He thrust his fist into the ground, narrowly squashing Mamoru's head into the pavement as the old man yelped and rolled out of the way. Chouji swiped sideways at him, catching his shoulder. Mamoru yelped as he went airborne, flipping through the air before crashing violently into the ground.

"Go help Shikamaru!"

Yuri nodded, unsheathing several kunai between her fingers.

"Yuri, don't!" Shikamaru suddenly called, his eyes wide as he stared at a chunk of unfinished road.

But it was too late; Yuri was already in the air. She pounced onto Vita's back, only to be punched in the face. Vita scoffed, the road tearing to peices beneath her.

"Pathetic."

"What the-?"

Vita delivered a swift kick to Yuri's stomach, sending her cartwheeling back across the road. Chouji slammed his hand down just in time to catch Yuri before she skidded over the edge. Holding her stomach, Yuri sat up, glaring daggers at the she-devil.

_"How in the world did she break Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu...?"_

"This isn't good..." She heard Shikamaru mutter.

Gazing at the kunoichi, Yuri saw that Shikamaru's Shadow Posession jutsu was still in "effect"... Vita and Shikamaru's shadows were still connected, only the technique wasn't affecting her. Hands on her hips, she closed in on her and Chouji.

"Chouji! Yuri!" Shikamaru called, still on his knees.

"My jutsu doesn't work on her! Get the hell **out **of there!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Chouji dove to the left, Yuri to the right as a volley of kunai knives seperated them. She took notice of how the knives gleamed unusually in the moonlight.

"Poison!" She gasped.

"Her kunai are coated in poison! Don't let them hit you!"

"No kidding," Shikamaru scoffed, reaching into his kunai pouch.

_"So much for that idea... Time for plan B."_

"She's manipulating the earth, somehow," He relayed, watching the road shred to peices beneath her feet.

The road was simply falling apart under her, then evaporating into the air before it even reached her shoulders. He dropped his hands, his jutsu useless against her.

_"That must be what's keeping her from being captured by my shadow possession... But how to stop it..."_

His eyes roamed over the road, looking for any loophole.

_"She'll run out of road to absorb eventually... But not for a long, long time..."_

Shikamaru surveyed his teammates. They were both already breathing heavily, Chouji from using his jutsu, and Yuri from having the wind knocked out of her. He noticed Mamaoru lying motionless in a heap alongside the road. There wouldn't be anything out of him anymore. Since Ino's mind possession jutsu could take over an opponent completely, she wold've been useful here. But they had no clue where she was. Regaining his composure, Chouji rose to his feet, jumping into the air. He flipped, and he became a wrecking ball of destruction as he hurled himself towards Vita. She wasted no time in slamming her hands onto the earth. As if bending to her will, the road rose up in her defense. Chouji slammed into it violently, unable to stop himself in time. His jutsu null, he spun warily in place before collapsing onto the pavement. The risen road fell back into place, and Vita bent down to pick Chouji up by his throat.

"Chouji!!" Shikamaru cried.

Yuri gnawed her bottom lip furiously.

_"What can I do...?"_

She gave the scene a quick once-over, fingering the clasp of her ninja tool holster.

_"We won't die here..."_

Making several hand signs, she inhaled deeply, her chest expanding.

"Futon: Daitoppa!"

Yuri exhaled, and high-speed winds like that of a twister ravaged the area. In chunks the size of a large animal, the road began to come apart. Vita dropped Chouji, slamming her hands back onto the ground to bring the pavement back up in her defense, but the wind tore it to peices in seconds. Even the earth that she'd been absorbing was being blown away. Yuri sprinted across the road, snatching ahold of Chouji's collar as she ran past Vita, who was trying to fend of the winds in vain. Shikamaru grasped ahold of Chouji's collar as well, helping Yuri drag him back to the village. Chouji staggered to his feet, blinking rapidly as if he couldn't see right. Yuri glanced back in time to see Mamoru and his daughter fall, the road now completely annihilated. The winds subsided, and Yuri sighed, releasing Chouji and leaning back on her arms. Shikamaru delivered a swift slap the the back of her head.

"You almost _killed _us!"

"Sorry, but I panicked--"

"Panicked," Shikamaru repeated in distaste.

Yuri's bottom lip quivered. She rose to her feet and dusted off her pants.

"Yuri, where are you going?" Chouji called, still a bit dazed.

"... We have to get Asuma-sensei and Ino, and get out of here. That was a Stone shinobi, so who knows how many they'll send after us as long as we're in their territory."

"...Oh."

Chouji laid back onto the rocks, and fell asleep.

"Hey!" Shikamaru called after her, dropping the bored tone for once.

"It's a bad idea to split up, seeing how we're obviously not welcome here!"

Yuri ignored him, and continued on to the infirmary, where Asuma was being kept. Shikamaru scoffed angrily, and shook Chouji.

"Get up, Chouji. We've got some searching to do."

* * *

Yuri hovered over Asuma, biting her lip angrily.

_"What was that technique Iruka-sensei taught us again...?"_

She cracked her knuckles, racking her memory for the day that Iruka had them practice emergency first-aid. But her mind was just blank. If she knew what the jutsu was, she'd have performed it the moment she'd realized that Asuma had been poisoned. The only hope she really had was finding the antidote. but she had no idea where to beginning looking for it. Her only option now was to simply take Asuma with them back to the Leaf as he was. She sighed in aggravation, scratching her head vigrously. She really didn't want to confront Shikamaru right now.

_"He's ungrateful,"_ She mused angrily, pulling Asuma from the bed.

She'd only used a single jutsu through that whole fight, and when she had made a move, Shikamaru reprimanded her.

-------

_"Chouji!"_

_The ninja looked up from his seat by Asuma when his name was called._

_"Ino is a fake."_

_"What?!"_

_"No time for questions. I'll explain our plan of attack on the way."_

_Chouji tucked the sheets around Asuma, then joined his teammates, listening intently._

_"Alright, now listen up," Shikamaru began, taking the lead as he ran down the stairs and out of the hospital doors._

_"We're going to ambush Ino. I'm going to serve as the diversion, and you two back me up using the Cloak of Invisibility technique. When I insult her, you guys move behind her. That's your cue, so no matter what kind of danger it looks like I might be in, do not make your move until you get the cue. And when I catch her in my Shadow Possession Jutsu, that is your second cue to reveal yourselves. If the Ino imposter has an accomplice, attack him with your Bakai no Jutsu, Chouji. I can hold her off long enough for you to get rid of him."_

_"What about me?" Yuri asked._

_The road was in sight, and she still wasn't sure what he wanted her to do after revealing herself from the jutsu._

_"Back up Chouji," He replied bluntly, as if it'd been obvious._

------

She sighed heavily, positioning Asuma's weight across her back, making it easier for her to carry him.

_"He makes me sound as if I'm useless..."_

Her grasp on Asuma tightened, kicking the hospital door shut behind her.

_"I... I am _not _useless..."_

* * *


	5. Nothing Like Nara Hospitality

"Asuma-sensei..."

Shikamaru watched Yuri lean haphazardly over their unconscious sensei, her brow creasing in concern. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Chouji trying to coax Ino out of her freaky slumber.

"Ino? You alright, Ino?"

"Mmmm-unnghhh..."

"Uh huh... Don't worry, you'll get better..."

Her eyes fluttered meaninglessly, drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth. She'd been in some weird state of semi-responsive sleep-coma when Shikamaru and Chouji had found her. Since then, her state hadn't made much of an improvement. Ino answered when you spoke to her, but it was never anything more than incomprehensive gurgling and moaning. Yuri sighed, rising to her feet.

"We still have an entire day's journey until we get back to the Leaf. We need to hurry."

Shikamaru groaned, lying down on his back. He closed his eyes and yawned.

"I'm going to rest a little longer."

"No," Yuri pressed, her voice firm.

"Asuma-sensei's state is serious. And we still have no idea what is wrong with Ino. We have to get them back to the Leaf quickly so that they can be treated."

He decided to ignore her, folding his arms behind his head and crossing his legs at the ankles. To his dismay, someone kicked his foot.

"Woman..." He growled, sitting up.

He opened his eyes and glowered at her in irritation.

"That wasn't me," She replied, turning her back on him.

Yuri bent down, positioning Ino onto her back. Chouji, his arms crossed stubbornly, glared down on his teammate with iron determination.

"She's right, Shikamaru," He reprimanded.

"Ino and Asuma-sensei need medical attention that we can't give them."

Heaving a huge sigh, Shikamaru stood up, scratching his head.

"Alright, but I'm not carry either of the troublesome fools."

"That's okay. Chouji and I are fine on our own. We don't need your help."

Chouji gather Asuma in his arms as Shikamaru scoffed at Yuri's tone. If he'd cared at all, he _might _have been offended.

* * *

"It seems that Ino was given not only some kind of a paralysis poison, but also a numbing poison."

Hands on his hips, Asuma bent over his student to get a better look at her. His wounds were quickly addressed as soon as he'd arrived at the Leaf village. The medics administered the antidote, and Asuma was "up and at 'em" in a matter of hours, as the poison was not of a complicated nature. Though still not in peak condition, his personally had not faltered a bit.

"Am I about right?"

"Yes," The medic-nin replied.

"But she isn't beyond help. She will be alright in a few days time."

"Right."

Asuma stretched his arms skyward, the bones in his back popping. He winced.

"And as for you three... You're all going back to the academy tomorrow to learn basic ninja medical procedures. All of us stared death in the face over the course of this mission. And technically speaking, since you protected neither Mamoru nor the road, the mission was a complete failure. We won't be recieving compensation for your efforts. None of you were prepared on this mission."

His eyes met guilty pools of lavender, who quickly averted her gaze from her sensei.

"Yuri... before I forget, you have to move in with one of your comrades. Hokage's orders."

"What!" Yuri exclaimed, forgetting her unspoken guilt and staring her sensei back in the eyes.

"She has to live with one of us?" Chouji asked, giving his chips a rest.

"Why?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Hokage's orders. He was informed by Iruka that she lived in a dump."

Asuma surveyed his team. Yuri appeared insulted, so he quickly added,

"Not exactly those words, but you guys get the point. Chouji, Shikamaru, you'll both have to go home and consult this matter with your parents and ask if Yuri will be able to stay, alright?"

Shikamaru groaned.

"Great. More menial labor?"

Asuma frowned.

"You don't care much for your teammate, do you, Shikamaru? Don't you care even in the slightest that she lives in a dumpster look-a-like?"

Shikamaru didn't reply. Asuma gave Yuri an apologetic look.

"Well, now that that's out of the way... who's up for ramen?"

"Aww... I was hoping for Korean Barbeque..." Chouji pouted.

"Wait a minute... whose treat?" Shikamaru asked slyly.

"Alright, you got me. I'll pay. But no barbeque. We ate that last night."

"Man!"

"Don't push your luck, Chouji."

Asuma paused, tapping his chin lightly.

"On second thought, all of you, go home. Yuri, pack your things. Shikamaru, Chouji, go home and ask your parents about having a potential roomie. We'll meet back up at Ichiraku's Ramen in one hour."

Yuri nodded, and returned home. Upon opening her door (or, rather, having it fall in on her as usual), she picked up a picture of her family. It was the only picture she had of them, and she wasn't even it-- well, not physically. Her mother's stomach had a bump, her father's hand placed over the curve of his wife's abdomen. A teenage boy was behind them, but his face was hidden from view by his father's arm. Yuri sighed, pulling a box aside for personal momentos. She had never questioned her family's death; she'd simply accepted it. She was alone, and she could only vaguely remember them, anyways. The only thing she really recalled was thier laughter. If ever she was asked what she knew about her family, her answer would've been that she knew they had to have been constantly happy, to laugh like they always did.

* * *

"So, what'd your parents say, Chouji?" Asuma asked, lighting up a cigarette.

Chouji nodded, chowing down on his ramen.

"Dad... _slurp_... is on mission... _gulp, urp_... won't know till he gets back... _glug_..."

"Mhmm," Asuma replied.

He turned Shikamaru, who let out a heavy sigh and a groan before his sensei had even opened his mouth.

"My mom said that she'd love to have another girl in the house, and father said that he didn't care, just as long as she wasn't as lazy as what I am."

"Well then it's settled!" Asuma patted Yuri on the back.

"You've got a new home with the Naras!"

Yuri smiled and opened her mouth, when she was nearly choked and knocked out of her seat when a pair of orange-clad arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"Yuri! Yes! I'm so glad your back! We left just a couple days before you, but you didn't come back for another week! I really missed ya! Aha ha ha!"

"I'm... cough... happy to see you too, Naruto, but you're... kind of choking me," Yuri sputtered, trying desperately to pry Naruto from her before he unintentionally killed her.

Naruto laughed and took a seat to the right of her. Before anyone could brace themselves, Naruto was prattling away about how cool the land of Waves had been, how he'd met this cool kid named Inari, and about how cool his sensei Kakashi looked fighting a rouge ninja.

"So! How was your mission? Did you fight any ninja on a bridge?"

Of course, he was referring to himself and Zabuza, but he didn't know that he had struck one of Yuri's few nerves.

"Umm... actually, Naruto..."

"Hey, buzz off, Naruto. Don't you have something else to do?" Shikamaru snapped defensively from across the ramen bar.

Yuri blinked several times.

_"Shikamaru..."_

Naruto growled, flames in his eyes.

"No, I don't have anything else to do! And I'm not going anywhere!" Naruto spat, folding his arms stubbornly.

Shikamaru's eye twitched, bet he kept silent. His team knew better than to expect him to sit and argue with Naruto. But still... the fact he'd responded to Naruto so quickly when he'd unintentionally upset Yuri was unlike him.

* * *

Yuri sighed, and then put the key into the rusted lock. As soon as the key hit the doorknob, the door fell in, they key still in Yuri's hands. She stared.

_"Why do I even have I key?"_ She groaned to herself.

She walked in and began to gather what little things she had left to pack into a small pile.

"I'll need to get a few more boxes," She spoke to herself.

"Don't bother. I already have some."

Yuri jumped; she turned towards the door, and saw Shikamaru with a stack of boxes in his arms. He looked as if he had been threatened to come here and help her pack. Which, Yuri reminded herself, he probably _had _been. From what she'd heard about Shikamaru's mother, she ruled the inhabitants of her home with an iron fist.

"You didn't have to come help me," Yuri assured him, turning to continue packing her things.

"I know, but my mother made me. Said it was _'gentlemanly'_."

Yuri smiled to herself, standing up and turning to face Shikamaru. She relieved him of the boxes and began to pack. Shikamaru sat down on the door, and gazed around.

"Iruka wasn't kidding. This place really is a dump."

He looked up at Yuri, who was currently carefully placing her ninja tools into a box.

"Why didn't you say something about living in this dump earlier?" He asked boredly.

Yuri stopped to gaze at Shikamaru's complexion. He looked completely burdened to be here, and looked bored, not that it was anything out of the ordinary. He planted his chin in his hand that was propped up on his knee.

_"I wonder... why he stuck up for me at Ichiraku's..."_

Shikamaru sighed, then glanced up at Yuri, staring her in the eyes.

"What do you want?" He demanded suddenly.

Yuri flinched, jerked from her contemplation.

"Umm... what?" She inquired, genuinely perplexed.

"You keep staring at me. Do I look that strange?"

Yuri blinked, shaking her head.

"N-no... I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About how you confronted Naruto for me back at Ichiraku's," Yuri admitted.

Shikamaru blinked, his brow furrowing.

"It wasn't for you," He explained.

"You think I wanted to relive those memories, either?"

"True..."

"Listen, Yuri..."

"Yes, Shika-kun?" Yuri asked, closing the box that contained her ninja tools.

He liked the way that Yuri said "Shika-kun". When anyone else said it... it was just plain weird. But when Yuri said it... well, that was a whole different story. Suddenly, Shikamaru realized what exactly he was thinking about, and evicted the thoughts from his head in disgust.

"Asuma wants us to go to the academy tomorrow. To brush up on our medical ninjutsu, so what happened at the Stone village will never happen again."

"I know."

"What time were we going to head up to get Chouji?"

Yuri pressed a finger to her lips, tossing around the possible scenarios in her head.

"That all depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not you get up in the morning."

Shikamaru bristled slightly in his defense.

"No one said it had to be in the morning. It could be later on in the day."

"But don't you want to get up as early as possible in order to get the most out of our training?"

"No," he answered honestly.

"Oh..."

Yuri returned to her packing. Her desire to speak to him was officially doused. After everything they'd just been through together, and still he acted as if he were so detatched from his teammates. She wished he'd express a bit more concern, a bit more _motivation_.

"You can leave now."

"Are you kicking me out?"

She considered the idea for a moment with a smile, all in _good natured humor_, of course, but in the end, she resigned herself to say,

"Your mother told you to bring me some boxes, and you have. You don't have to hang around here."

By the time she'd sealed up her current box and reach for the next, he was already gone. But before she sadly wrote him off in her mind, she also noticed that some of her boxes were gone, too. Bolting to her doorway, she caught a quick glimpse of Shikamaru, loaded down with two of her boxed belongings before he disappeared around the corner of Ichiraku's ramen shop. Grinning to herself, she resumed her packing. When Shikamaru returned, he leaned against her doorframe, scanning the almost empty room.

"Looks like you're almost done."

"Yeah..."

She sealed up another box, before giving the living room a final farewell glance. Her room upstairs was already cleared out. Yuri took a step closed to Shikamaru, trying to convey her gratitude with her eyes, as her pride would not allow her to speak it so blatantly. The small words that meant the most, such as "thank you", always seemed to get tied up and caught in her throat whenever she tried to say them.

"You didn't have to take my things, I would have gotten them my--"

"If I'd have let you do that on your own, my mother would've killed me," He explained casually.

"I know how she is, trust me."

"Alright, I will."

Shikamaru and Yuri gathered up the rest of her belongings, her following him, since she had no clue where the Nara household was.

"You must be Yuri!" A black haired woman greeted when the two Genin entered the room.

"I've heard quite a bit about you from Asuma..." She said, elbowing Shikamaru in the ribs as she stared him down with a look of pure venom.

Yuri got the idea that Shikamaru's mother was angry at her son because she hadn't heard of his teammates from Shikamaru. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, shifting his hold on the box as he headed towards the stairs. With an awkward smile, Yuri followed Shikamaru up the stairs, although she was pretty sure Mrs. Nara hadn't seen the gesture, as she was still sending her son a death glare. Shikamaru kicked open a door on the far right. Except for a few boxes on the floor and a bed against the far wall, the room was completely empty. Shikamaru let the boxes fall from his arms with an earth-shattering _**thump**_. She made a silent prayer that _she _was the one holding the box of fragile contents.

"This is your room," Shikamaru said with such an intensity of _dull_, he almost seemed like he'd been threatened to recite this.

He pointed to the other doors down the corridor.

"Bathroom. My room. My parent's room."

He yawned, and left the room without another word. Yuri sat down on her bed, smoothing the mattress out. Without even bothering to unpack her pillows and bedsheets, she laid back on the bed, closing her eyes. With a smile, her last thought before she fell asleep was,

_"I'll wake up Shikamaru at six thirty tomorrow morning."_


	6. Shikamaru's Solution: Just Don't Do It

Alright, so in my Shikamaru stories, I'm going to start putting a quote that goes with the storyline. Don't ask why, because I don't know. I just feel like adding something to occupy the space up here. Ehe he he...

_"Complaining is good for you as long as you're not complaining to the person you're complaining about."_

-Lynn Johnston

* * *

"Oh Shika-kuuuuuuuun!" An oddly familiar voice resounded.

There was a thundering pounding on his bedroom door. Abnormally high pitched as her voice was, Shikamaru didn't have trouble recognizing it. He slammed his pillow over his head, hoping to drown out the sound of the Leaf kunoichi calling his name.

"Nara Shikamaru! Get up!"

Shikamaru groaned, and then slowly turned to glare at the girl through his closed door. Maybe, if he just ignored her and pretended to be asleep, she'd go away...

"Don't ignore me! I know you're awake in there!"

...Damn.

"What do you want," He growled through his pillow.

It was more of statement than a question. Nara Shikamaru was _not _a very nice morning person.

"Can I come in?"

"No," He seethed, turning away from the door.

To his dismay, his door opened anyways. He pulled his blankets over his head.

"Come back in a few hours," He barked.

"Sorry, it's six thirty two, Shikamaru," Yuri chided, grinning.

Shikamaru bristled.

"You're waking me up at six thirty."

"Mhmm," She replied, taking a seat at the edge of his bed.

She folded her legs indian-style, running her fingers through her dark tresses.

"You sound mad about that."

"I couldn't imagine why."

Giggling, Yuri flipped on the light beside the bed. Shikamaru cringed, trying to bury himself deeper into his sheets in an attempt to hide from the light. She reached to tug on his blankets, but her hand was immediately swatted away.

"Why the hell are you waking me up at six freaking thirty?!" He finally demanded.

"We have to go to the academy today." She explained.

"Come back in a few hours," He repeated dully.

The blankets quivered, and Yuri heard him stiffle a yawn. She pat his pillow gingerly, rising to her feet.

"Well, I'm going to go get Chouji, and the two of us are going to head down to the academy to get started on our medical ninjutsu training."

Shikamaru merely grunted, waving his hand at her to leave.

"Turn off the light on your way out," He grumbled through another yawn.

Yuri obeyed, leaving him in the dark.

* * *

"Good morning, Yuri. Asuma told me that team ten would be stopping by today, except for Ino, of course."

Yuri greeted her academy sensei with a curt wave of her hand.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei."

"Ino's doing better, I hope?"

Shrugging, Yuri suppressed a yawn of her own.

_"That lazy bum... He's contagious."_

"I'm not sure... I haven't visited her since we brought her back yesterday evening..."

"I see."

Iruka pointed across the academy grounds, where a young woman with short, choppy brown hair was standing by the swings.

"That is Ajiamoe, your medical ninjutsu instructor," He explained.

"She was raised as a medic-nin, and she's the best the Leaf currently has to offer. Fortunately for us, she had no missions today. Go on and introduce yourself."

Nodding, Yuri started off his the direction of the medic-nin, when Iruka called after her.

"Oh, Yuri?"

She turned, acknowledging her sensei with a tilt of her head. The Chuunin gazed around, as if he'd suddenly lost something.

"Where's Shikamaru and Chouji?"

With a frown, she raised her hands in submission.

"They wouldn't get up."

"Neither of them?!"

"Neither."

Iruka sighed, holding his head in his hands.

"Asuma... won't be pleased..."

He walked away muttering about something Yuri vaguely caught as ungrateful students and roast chicken salads.

"Ajiamoe-sensei...?" Yuri inquired as she approached the brunette.

"My name is Yuri. Good morning."

"Morning, sweetheart," Ajiamoe agreed, eyeing her new apprentice suspiciously.

"I thought there were three of you?"

Despite the cool morning, a bead of sweat trailed down her neck.

"We... They were supposed to come, but..."

"But?"

"...But they refused to get out of bed, sensei. I'm sorry."

Ajiamoe chewed on the inside of her cheek, arching a sculpted brow.

"Is that so..."

Yuri chewed nervously on her bottom lip. She wondered if the medic-nin would send her away, since her teammates were M.I.A.

"...In that case... I guess you're my only pupil, today. It's alright, I prefer one-on-one apprenticeships, anyway."

"Thank you, sensei..."

* * *

"Shikamaru, get your lazy ass over here now!"

Shikamaru shuddered. Ino's tone scared him. She'd only been released from the hospital a day ago, but it was as if she'd never even been injured. She still put her best foot forward in missions, and her temper was flaring as always.

He slowly inched over to his team, making sure to put good distance between himself and the angry blonde. He hid behind Chouji when Ino progressed on him. Chouji squealed and ran behind Asuma, leaving Shikamaru vulnerable. Ino cracked her knuckles, and Shikamaru swallowed hard, bracing himself. He put his arms up in his defense. As if that would do any good. Putting his arms up to a fuming Ino was like relying on paper umbrella to protect him from a monsoon.

"Why don't you ever help on missions?" Ino demanded.

"You're about as helpful as my eighty-year-old grandma! You just sit there taking up space, when you **should** be helping! Because of you, it took us longer than usual to weed out the dandelions from the old lady's yard! You're pathetic, Shikamaru! You..."

Shikamaru was looking at her, but he wasn't listening. His attention was caught by a spunky brunette across the road, chuckling as she pat the shoulder of a young, ebony hair girl.

"...Now I wouldn't go that far, but you've sure improved a great deal over the course of the pat week."

"Thank you, Ajiamoe-sensei."

"...And not to mention how damn lazy you are! You have **never** helped on a mission! You are such a sorry little piece of-"

_"That's right, Ino. Talk away. Talk is fine. Just as long as you don't kill me..."_

As if to answer his prayers, Chouji boldly stepped forward. Well... not so boldly. He was shaking. But he was bolder than Asuma.

"I-Ino-chan... please... Shika-kun will help on the next m-mission... I-I'll make sure he will... if he doesn't, then... then..." He stammered.

Ino's constant bellowing faltered. She rounded on Chouji, who took a step back as if Ino would attack him at any given moment. She looked back at Shikamaru. Her expression twisted into one of deep thought, and then she smiled. Not just any smile, but the one those insane cheshire cats. Chouji's body froze over and he hid behind Asuma. He thought about taking back her offer, because whatever deal Ino had just schemed in her mind, Chouji didn't like the look of it.

"Alright, your deal is accepted, Chouji!"

"Uh, on second though, Shikamaru's his own man, he can take care him-"

Ino cackled, and a shudder ran down all three of thier backs. Even Yuri from across the street paused, able to recgonize that bickering anywhere.

"Guys!" She ran over to the group, waving.

"How are you?"

"Awful,"Chouji shamelessly admitted, earning him a swift swat across the back of his head from Ino.

"Oh, come on, the missions aren't that bad," Asuma argued, smoke filing from his nose.

"We're having a blast, aren't we, team?"

When no one answered, Yuri took the opportunity to apologize.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much the past week," She amended, bowing quickly to her team,

"But I've been refining my skills with Ajiamoe-sensei--"

"Don't worry about it," Asuma answered her with a sly grin.

"At least you were the one that actually listened to me, isn't that right, team?"

Yuri blinked, and suddenly she got the impression that the members of team ten, including their sensei, weren't having a swell day. She wondered whether now was a good time to come back to the team, or stay away... far, far away, for another week or two.

"I will rejoin team ten soon... On the Monday before the Chuunin Exams. Is that alright, Asuma-sensei?"

"That's fine. Team ten, move out!"

* * *

There was a knock on Shikamaru's door. He didn't make any attempt to get up as he lay in his bed. The corners of his mouth twitched. Probably his mom coming to tell him to be productive for once. Or his dad, wanting him to train. The person beyond the door knocked again. Then it hit him. Since when had either of his parents seriously learned to **knock**?

Shikamaru rolled off his bed and hit the floor with a thud. His head tilted to the side and his feet held fast to the bed post. Recuperating from his oh-so graceful landing, he slunk to the door. Pulling it open, he came face-to-face with a grinning kunoichi.

"Forgive me, Shika-kun, but I believe that you've just set your own personal record for fastest waking time."

With a grunt, he shut the door on her face, crawling back into bed. He wasn't about to let her have that kind of satisfaction. Just as he guessed she would do, she proceeded to open his door and step inside.

"Rise and shine. Wake up, Shikamaru. Its seven thirty Monday morning."

Shikamaru didn't really appreciate the idea of his roomate being a built-in alarm clock. Neither did he like the word "Monday". He groaned and rolled over his bed.

"You know, being late is the same as being inefficient."

Shikamaru groaned and pressed his pillow over his head, hoping to block her out. No such luck.

"Hey, hey! Please don't try and ignore me! Get up!"

Groaning and swearing, Shikamaru finally sat up. Yuri smiled again, much to his displeasure.

"You're really on a roll this morning."

"Shut up," He retorted snidely.

He waved her off towards the door

"Get out."

Meaning to throw him off, Yuri disobeyed, sitting down on his floor. She had commenced an epic stare-down for the ages, until Shikamaru shrugged, and began pulling his shirt over his head.

"Fine by me."

He heard her gasp, and by the time his shirt was completely off, there was no sign of the girl.

By the time he had showered and dressed himself, Shikamaru was still snickering at his new personal inside joke. He headed out to the Town Hall, where Yuri and the rest of his team were already assembled. Asuma smiled.

"Today's an easy mission!" He reassured Shikamaru.

"Just picking trash out of a polluted river! You can do that, can't you?"

"Whatever," Shikamaru replied in a bored tone.

"Let's just get this over with already."

The team strapped baskets to their backs, Shikamaru taking the longest. They gathered together sticks and headed for the river.

* * *

"S-Shika-kun! Please help us!" Yuri pleaded.

Usually, her calling him by such a name would invoke stomach-twisting and other strange feelings in his abdomen. But today, he must've built an immunity to her, because Shikamaru sat listlessly along the water's edge stabbing at floating objects with his stick, each one getting away from him. He sighed and threw down his stick. It floated downstream. Yuri groaned and ran through the water, chasing after it.

"I don't feel like it," He grumbled.

Yuri swiped at the stick, only to have it fall down the waterfall at the end. She stared down the waterfall, dumbstruck.

"Shikamaru!" She cried.

"You lost your stick! Now how will you help?"

"Simple. I won't," Shikamaru replied, plucking a blade of grass from the bank and twirling it in his fingers.

"Shikamaru! I knew you wouldn't help us!" Ino fumed.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"You can't make me do anything."

Ino's growls got louder.

**You're signing our will,** Shikamaru's conscious warned.

Shikamaru's eye twitched. For the rest of the day, he endured Ino's occasional insults as he sat back in the shade and did nothing at all. He had actually planned on working, but heck. Easier said than done. Physical labor is troublesome.

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There you go! Chapter 8 is officially up now! I hope you liked it! Next chapter, the Chuunin Exams shall commence! (Throws confetti)


	7. Enter Chuunin Exams: Earth Demon Returns

Not much to say today... Yeah...

_"In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain."_

-Pliny the Elder

* * *

"Oi! Get it in gear Shikamaru, or you'll never prevail in the Chuunin Exams!"

Shikamaru rose from the ground to one knee, his breathing heavy. Asuma crossed his arms, then closed his eyes. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, then exhaled, smoke filing from his nostrils. He reopened his eyes, glaring down at Shikamaru. Shikamaru coughed, then collapsed onto his carcass. Asuma sighed, replacing the cigarette in its rightful place in his mouth. Turning his back on Shikamaru, he addressed the genin again.

"You're doing worse than the girls are, Shikamaru. **Get motivated**."

Yuri ran to Shikamaru's aide, helping him to his feet. Asuma's shadow clone dispelled in a mist of smoke. The real Asuma walked off, hands in his pockets. Ino decided that it was her turn to play teacher.

"Asuma-sensei has a point, you know," She scolded.

"You're not ever even motivated in the slightest! You- "

"Oh please," Shikamaru snapped, glaring at the blonde konoichi.

"Give me a break."

Shikamaru got to his feet, and Yuri let go of him. He stumbled forward slightly, but caught his balance against the trunk of a nearby tree. He sat down with his back against. Yuri turned to Ino. She pulled senbon between her fingers, and smiled.

"Want to spar, Ino?" She asked.

Ino's attention switched to Yuri. She flashed a devious smile. She answered by unsheathing a kunai.

"Only if you're willing to eat my dirt!"

Yuri threw the senbon, which Ino easily deflected. Chouji sat down beside of Shikamaru.

"Well, I guess that's it for the day," He chimed, thrilled.

He pulled out a bag of chips, and began to eat, offering Shikamaru a chip or two.

Ino flung her kunai at Yuri. She jumped slightly above the kunai's destination, focusing her chakra. To the three genin's shock, the kunai faultered in midair beneath Yuri's foot. She hovered above the weapon, before sliding her foot rapidly forward, sending the kunai back at Ino. Ino backfliped out of the way, then ran at Yuri. She got on her hands, then shot her foot upwards towards Yuri's jaw. Yuri caught her leg, but Ino flipped in Yuri's grasp, kicking her other foot at Yuri's head. Gasping, Yuri released Ino's foot in order to avoid being hit. Yuri then stepped forward towards Ino. She smirked as she saw her opening.

"Hi yah!" Yuri cried, thrusting the heel of her palm forward.

Her palm caught Ino in the chest, who gasped and doubled over. Yuri crouched on her toes, lashing a foot out at Ino's leg. Ino grasped her leg that was struck, then fell. Twirling a kunai in her fingers, Ino thrust it upwards, aiming for Yuris eye. Yuri quickly lunged backwards to avoid being stabbed, but that was what Ino had expected. She plunged the kunai into the earth, then swung around its handle, her legs kicking upward towards Yuri's head. Yuri jumped back, and threw kunai at Ino. Ino blocked with her kunai, taking it from the earth. It was Yuri's time to expect her opponent's moves. A hissing noise could be heard from Ino's feet. Her eyes widened as she looked down, and saw that one of several kunai thrown at her by Yuri had a paper bomb attatched to it.

"Shoot!" She yelled, attempting to turn and run.

But it was too late. She was thrown forward face-first by the explosion. Yuri giggled, finding this predicament ironic. After the smoke cleared, she walked over, kneeling down by Ino's head. Ino looked up at her, her angered face smeared with dirt.

"Wasn't it you that said I would eat your dirt?" She laughed.

Yuri playfully poked Ino on the nose, smiling. Ino glared at her finger.

"How strange!"

* * *

Yuri held Shikamaru's hand in hers, giggling. Shikamaru's face redened, but he turned his head to the side as to keep it from her.

"Good luck, Shika-kun!" She whispered as she released his hand to go to her assigned seat.

"Yeah, yeah... luck..." Shikamaru muttered, staring down at his hand.

Of course Yuri was niave, almost too pure to be called ninja, but he hadn't expected her to just up and hold his hand like that. She really knew how to get the butterflies going in his stomach. And the worst thing about it was that she didn't even know how her touch affected him. Hell, he wasn't sure _why _her touch affected _him_.

"Alright, listen up!"

Yuri's head shot up when the scarred man standing at the front addressed the genin.

"I'm the examiner for the first test of the Chuunin Selsction Exams, Morino Ibiki," He began.

"Now's a good chance to say this... There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner, and even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated."

Ibiki glared down at the genin, scanning them over with narrowed eyes.

"Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immeadiately. Do I make myself clear?"

Yuri fidgeted in her chair. This proctor was wierd. When no one answered, Ibiki must've taken that as a silent yes.

"We will now start the first test of the Chuunin Exams. Stay in your assigned seats, and we will distribute the exam papers."

After the papers were handed out, face down, Ibiki slammed a piece of chalk against the board behind him.

"There are many important rules to this first test," He explained.

Questions won't be allowed, so listen carefully while you can."

He turned and began writing on the board.

"The first rule: You all will start off with ten points. The test is worth ten points, each worth a point, and the test abides by a subtraction system. Basically, if you answer all ten questions correctly, you keep your ten points. But say if you miss three questions... you lose three and will have seven.

Second rule: Whether you pass will be determined by the combined scores of you and your teammates."

Yuri nearly had a heart attack.

_"This test is an overall score basis of the entire team!"_

She cast a nervous glance at her lazy teammate who found it too difficult to even pick up a pencil. She groaned, then banged her head on the table.

_"We're doomed! Shikamaru's score will bring the rest of us down!"_

She wished that, just for once, Shikamaru would be somewhat motivated to get the job done. Although she knew that wouldn't happen. She turned her head to the side to get a good look at the people around her. To her right was a red head with black rings around his eyes. If she was any other person, she would have seen that his eyes had "death" written all over them. But since she wasn't just anybody else, instead she smiled up at him. He glared down at her, hands folded in front of her face. Yuri sat up, then turned her attention back to Ibiki.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled, her forehead beat red from smacking it on the table so hard.

"Why is the score based as a team?"

"Shut up!" Ibiki ordered.

"There is a reason for this. Be quiet and listen."

He returned to the explaination of the rules.

"Okay, and now for the most important rule. The third rule is that, during the exam... anyone the testing officers catch trying to be sneaky, namely, cheating, will have two points subtracted for every offense."

"Two?" Yuri mused aloud to herself.

"Why don't they just disqualify us the first- ?"

Her eyes widened in realization. She was beginning to catch on fairly quickly.

"So, during the exam, there will be those who lose all of thier points and will be asked to leave." Ibiki continued.

"Realize that the pathetic ones who get caught cheating will only be destroying themselves. If you're a shinobi, act like a first rate one."

"And the final rule: Those that lose all thier initial points during the test... Will be failed along with thier teammates."

Yuri's face turned pale. She slowly turned in her seat, yet again, to give a glance at Shikamaru. As usual, he didn't look like he was too thrilled.

Yuri turned her attention back to the front once she was done staring at Shikamaru. She wondered whether or not he would help, but she highly doubted that he'd put in much of an effort.

"The final tenth question will be handed out at the fourt-five minute mark," Ibiki proceeded.

"The exam will last one hour."

The clock's minute hand ticked onto the twelve.

"Begin!"

Yuri turned her paper over, and read the first question. Her face darkened as she remembered Naruto. Well, if got at least one question right, then maybe... maybe he wouldn't fail after all.

_"The first question is a cryptogram... Maybe he can do that one!"_

She grinned to herself, reading the question more thoroughly. Her smiled faded, solved the problem herself with slight trouble. She could forget Naruto trying to figure it out.

_"Second question... Line B in the diagram is th greatest possible distance shinobi A can throw his shuriken from a 7-meter tree. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken's range, explain all attack options from this distance. And then show your work... Let's see, shinobi A could possibly throw shurkien at a 90-or less degree angle, but he could also create clones to ambush the enemy... Naruto won't get this one, either..."_

Just as Yuri was about to put her thoughts into words on the paper, a flash on light hit her in the eyes. Looking down at the red haired boy's sand hitaiate on his hip beside of her, Yuri noticed that it was Shikamaru projecting the light with his own hitaiate in order to catch her attention. She didn't have to look back at him to know what he wanted. He was too lazy to take the test himself, and he wanted the answers from her. Smirking to herself, she raised her hands above her head and stretched. She bent backwards to glance at Shikamaru. The two made eye contact for a slight moment, just so she could tell him silently that she knew what he wanted. Yuri turned back to her test paper and got to work. Shikamaru grinned.

* * *

Yuri finished the first nine questions with fifteen mintues still remaining. Fifteen minutes. That should be long enough for her to tell Shikamaru the answers. She made several hand signs, the muttered the name of her technique.

"Utsusemi no Jutsu!"

Her eyes closed, her head falling limply forward onto her table. To the regular eye, she appeared to be asleep.

_"Shika-kun! There's only fifteen minutes left, so let me do it!"_

_"Wha- what the hell!"_

Shikamaru jumped, looking around wildly for the source of the voice. It had been Yuri's, but she was asleep at her desk, so...

_"Yuri!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"How did you- What did you- How did you get into my mind? How?"_

_"I used my Utsusemi no Jutsu. It's a voice projection technique, kind of like ventriloquilism, although in your head. Ino can use Shin Ten Shin no Jutsu, and this is kind of like that plus ventriloquilism insode your mind. Get it?"_

_"Yeah, but when did you learn- ?"_

_"Let's just say that Ajiamoe-sensei teaches more than medical ninjutsu! I'm taking over your body for a few seconds, m'kay?"_

_"What! You can't do- "_

_"Okay! I'll be done and out of your mind before you know it!"_

Shikamaru felt a few pains in the back of his head. Then it was over. Yuri, through Shikamaru's eyes, quickly wrote down all nine answers that she had memorized. She wanted to hurry, as not to breach the time limit of the test. With five minutes left, she finished. She cracked Shikamaru's knuckles. His hands were really cramped. It would have probably been best if he had actually done some work at the academy, then his hands would be accustomed to writing. Yuri's guess was that he had never written before in his life. Ten minutes of writing had his hands cramping as if he'd been writing ten hours. She closed his eyes made a few hand signs with his hands, and Shikamaru was back in control. Shikamaru reopened his eyes, then glanced up at Yuri's form. Within a few seconds, she rose, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Shikamaru looked down at his paper, and saw all nine questions completely filled out. To be honest, he didn't know that was what his handwriting looked like. He smirked to himself.

**Looks like she had it all under control from the beginning.**

_"Looks like."_

**She'll make up for your mistakes and flaws. I wouldn't worry about it too much.**

Shikamaru sneered.

_"You act as if you aren't me. We are one in the same, you know."_

**Most unfortunately.**

Shikamaru ignored the inner voice. He wasn't going to get all stressed right now.

"We will now begin the tenth question!" Ibiki announced.

Yuri looked up at Naruto. He was haunched over his paper. She sighed. It looked like the blonde was betting it all on this tenth question.

"Now before we get to it..." Ibiki continued,

"I'd like to go over the additional rules for this question. These are... the rules of desperation. First, for this tenth question, you must decide whether or not you will take it."

"Choose!" A blonde female in the back yelled out.

"So what happens if we choose not to take it? What's the catch?"

Ibiki grinned.

"If you choose not to take the final question, reguardless of the score on the other nine questions, you will automatically fail. And since this is a team-based test, so will your teammates."

Yuri swallowed.

_"N- Naruto-kun!"_

"And now, the other rule."

Ibiki paused before continuing.

"Anyone who decides to take the final question, but answers it incorrectly will be banned from taking the Chuunin Exams ever again."

There were several gasps, and Inuzuka Kiba form the academy stood to his feet.

"What kind of stupid rule is that!" Kiba demanded.

"There are plenty of guys here who have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki laughed sardonically.

"Well, I suppose that means that you guys are unlucky. I wasn't in charge in the past, now I am, so I'm making the rules. But I'm giving you a way out. Those who aren't confident enough to take it can skip the question, and try again next year. Now, let's begin the tenth question. Those of you who don't want to take it, raise your hand."

Yuri closed her eyes tightly. She hadn't decided to become a ninja for nothing. She hadn't risked her lives for three people she barely knew on the bridge in the Land of Earth for nothing.

She had not come this far in her life to give up now. She had made up her mind. She was staying. But what would Shikamaru do...?

_"Aww man, what a drag... this is so troublesome..."_

Yuri gasped as a certain blonde rose his hand into the air. Her pencil hit the table. Then, without warning, he slammed it onto the table.

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto warned Ibiki, rising to his feet.

"I'm not running away! I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever! I'll still become Hokage anyways, to it doesn't matter, I don't care! I'm not afraid!"

Naruto sat back down and crossed his arms. Yuri smiled to herself, planting her chin in her palm.

_"Naruto... you crazy, determined fool..."_

"I'll ask you again," Ibiki responded.

"Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."

"No way, I never go back on my word," Naruto replied.

"That's my ninja way!"

Yuri sighed, a smile creeping onto her face.

_"You have a way with words, Naruto-kun..."_

Inside of Shikamaru's head, he was being scolded.

**Hey, Shikamaru! Why aren't** you **that cool with words?**

_"Shut it. If I wanted to be an idiot, I'd just dye my hair blonde and eat ramen day in and day out._

**Hmm. I think that's the best idea you've had all day.**

_"Whatever. I don't want to be that egotistic wierdo."_

"Well, then in that case..." Ibiki smiled, an odd sight indeed.

"You've all passed!"

Many questions follow, and it is soon understood that whether or not the Genin wanted to take the tenth question _**was**_ the tenth question.

"Yeah, I kinda figured it was something like that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Amazing," Shikamaru mused aloud.

"He really didn't know..."

Right in the middle of Naruto's mental self-worshipping party, a woman burst through the window.

"I am Mitarashi Anko, examiner number two!"

She thrust a fist into the air.

"I'll go into further details tomorrow. We'll meet elsewhere, so ask your Jounin senseis for the place and time. Dissmissed!"

* * *

All the Genin had been instructed to report to training area 44, also known as the Forest of Death.

Yuri stood between Ino and Shikamaru, patiently awaiting further instrutcion from the strange woman. Ever since she had gotten there, however, Yuri had felt as if she was being watched.

"You will soon experience why we call this the Forest of Death," Anko chuckled.

Naruto stuck out his butt and put his hands on his hips.  
"**'You will soon experience why we call this the Forest of Death.'** Ha! I'm not scared!"

Anko must have been offended, or not prepared to let the comment slide, because she threw a kunai at Naruto, which grazed his cheek. Blood dribbled down his cheek, and Anko appeared behind him. She whipped out another kunai and turned to a man, or woman, or it, or whatever **it** was, who had the kunai she had thrown wrapped in his long tounge.

"Thank you, grass ninja," She thanked him, then stepped back to the front.

Anko proceeded to pass out concent forms, telling the Genin to sign their names and explaining that if anyone was to die, that she wouldn't be held responsible.

"This is part two of the Chuunin exams. This is strictly a survival test. Now," She pulled out a map, "I will explain the training area's geographical features. The 44th training area is a circular region surrounded by 44 locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle. The tower is appoximately 10 kilometers away from the gates. Inside this limited space, you will have to go through a certain survival program. The program consists of..."

She rolled the scroll back and tucked away in her jacket. "A competition where anything goes... Over these scrolls." And she held up two scrolls. A Scroll of Heaven and a Scroll of Earth. Since twenty-six teams passed in the first exam, the amount of scrolls will be split evenly. Which means thirteen teams will get the Scroll of Heaven and the other thirteen teams will get the Scroll of Earth.

She explained that the teams must use any means necessary to recieve the opossing scroll in which they possessed.

"So, we're surrounded by enemies," Sasuke muttered, refering to the poisonous bugs, man-eating beasts, and, of course, one another.

"Here are the conditions in which you can fail," Anko continued,  
"First off, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower with the three teammates will fail. Secondly, any team that looses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail.  
Third, teams are not allowed to look inside scrolls until they reach the tower."

"We'll exchanged your teams' consent forms for a scroll over there," Anko pointed,"then report to one of the 44 gate entrances."

"Oh, and one more piece of advice: _**Just don't die!"**_

Shikamaru gave the heaven scroll to Yuri, who tucked it away in her fishnet on the side of her leg. Yuri looked around, still feeling eyes boring into her. At the gate to her right, she made eye contact with hazel eyes. The girl had blackish burgandy hair, and slightly tanned skin. She also wore bandages on her hands and forearms to her elbows, and the hitaiate of Iwagakure was tied about her neck. Yuri's breath was caught in her throat, and she felt scared for her life, for the first time since the road.

And for the same reason.

The gates opened, signaling the start of the second exam. Yuri stood, rooted to the spot in terror. Ino almost tore through her to get into the forest, oblivious to the shinobi beside of her.

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Yuri?" Shikamaru asked.

His gaze broke away from that of Vita's and he caught Yuri by the shoulder, jerking her back to life.

"I guess you forgot about how he sent her packing right off the road."

"Shikamaru, this isn't funny..."

"We'll be fine. I promise you."

"You guys coming?" Chouji called, jogging up beside Ino.

"Yeah."

Shikamaru steered Yuri into the forest, forcing her to move. But she didn't get the feeling that it was all as simple as he was trying to make it sound.

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	8. Danger!: Bloodlust In The Forest

_"A timid person is frightened before the danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward."_

- Jean Paul Richter

* * *

"Yuri, you alright?" Ino asked skeptically, eyeing her teammate.

Shikamaru made a low irritated noise, rolling his eyes.

"Vita's in the forest, and Yuri afraid of her."

A shudder ran down Chouji's spine. Apparently, he hadn't quite forgotten the time Vita had splattered his brains on the inside of his skull while he had been using his Meat Tank. Ino simply blinked, completely lost.

"Vita... Who's Vita?"

"Doesn't matter," Shikamaru shrugged.

"So long as we just avoid her, we'll be fine."

* * *

Yuri stumbled, leaning against a nearby tree. Her nails dug into the bark for support. Ino collapsed onto the earth, breathing heavily.

She knew all along that Vita hadn't actually been dead. She'd had this sickening feeling that she sometimes got in her gut... And now she knew that she had not been wrong.

"Shikamaru and Chouji," Ino murmured hoarsely.

"Will she kill them...?"

"Of course she will!" Yuri mourned.

"We can't just leave them in Vita's danger. We have to find them, an earth scoll, and get **out** of this forest."

Ino nodded, cracking her knuckles.

"So what should we do? I mean, we have no idea where they're at..."

"Then we'll have to find them. Let's go, Ino."

* * *

"I thought she was dead when she fell!" Chouji moaned.

He rubbed his arm vigrously. Before Shikamaru could comment, a kunai came slicing the air. He ducked out of the way, and the blade slit throught the branches like paper. Gazing up, the koniochi removed her straw hat. Shikamaru scrambled to his feet, backing away from her. Vita grinned sinisterly.

"I hope you've made your peace, gentlemen. I'd hate to leave a child so unfulfilled."

Chouji's breath caught in his throat, and his hands trembled on the ground. This girl was no genin. She was a missing-nin now. More improved, more lethal. And so much more of a threat to him and his comrades' lives. Asuma had told his team that the Stone had made peace with the Leaf since that incident, and denied that Vita was any shinobi of theirs. She had been hired by the villagers, particularly Mamoru, to stop the construction of the bridge. Only now, she had a personal vendetta to settle with the Leaf Genin. Vita twirled another kunai in her fingers. Her sinister smile broadened.

"Not many people are aware ahead of time when, and how they will die. You, however, are of a different case. I'll tell you how your world will end. First, I'll kill the smart aleck here."

She guestured to Shikamaru, who fell to his knees, gazing up at Vita. His breathing was raspy as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes... I'll make it quick and easy. I'll slit his throat. Then, chubby here."

If Chouji wouldn't have been so frightened, he would have exploded. Instead, he trembled.

"You're going to lead me to the ladies of your team."

"We lost them!" Shikamaru explained resentfully.

"We don't have any idea where they are right now."

She laughed sadistically, then turned her blood lustful eyes onto Shikamaru.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

Shikamaru noticed the earth coming up beneath her feet, evaporating into thin air as it rose higher.

_"Just like at the road..."_

"Haven't you said that once before?" Shikamaru asked indimidatingly.

"Said that you'd kill all four of us, and Asuma-sensei too?"

Vita's complextion faded into a menacing sneer. It suited her inner sadist flawlessly.

"You have no _idea _what real strength is."

With a flick of her wrist, the ground below her unrooted itself in peices the size of small boulders. They levitated around Vita as if she were the center of their gravitational pull.

"Chouji!" He called, snatching his friend by his collar, dragging him behind the nearest tree.

The earth slammed against the tree, just as the two huddled behind it. Shikamaru grabbed Chouji and threw themselves against the ground as the earth snapped their tree-shield into splinters. Shikamaru looked up in time to see the rocks spiralling above them, before dropped like a dead weight.

"Run!!" He cried, bolting out of fire, Chouji on his heels.

They rose their arms to their face to shield thier eyes from the debris.

"The four of you have forehead protectors on as if you think you're ninja...but the term ninja refers to someone who has gone through numerous life and death situations. In other words, you can call yourself a ninja when you appear in my bingo book. You four aren't ninja."

Vita's cold voice cut icily through the debris. To Shikamaru and Chouji's horror, the debris never cleared.

_"She's controlling the debris to impair our vision,"_ Shikamaru realized solemnly.

His eyes darted around for any sign of movement while he fished in his tools puch for a kunai. He suddenly heard a thud and the scraping of metal. But Chouji was still beside him.

"You're just brats."

"Shikamaru!" He heard Ino shout somewhere in the mist of debris.

_"Yuri! Ino!" _

_"I can't see anything!"_

Yuri just wanted to stab something she was so frustrated. She was usually not so hot headed, but one could only assume that it was the sudden pressure that she was put under that brought out her inner flame. A sudden realization came to her.

_"If I can't see anything, then Vita shouldn't be able to either. I just might be able to surprise her and score us some points."_

Yuri closed her eyes and concentrated, forgetting about the feeling of bloodlust in the air and the blinding debris. She searched for it, that chakra that only Vita possessed. It only took her a few moments to locate it; the pressure seemed to help her see under such heart-stopping conditions...

_"Got you."_

Grasping her kunai tightly, Yuri charged through the mist, her body set on that unique chakra. She made a round-a-bout to come at her side and when she could see Vita's outline through the debris she let out a serge of chakra that blew the debris away. Yuri leapt at her and for a fleeting moment thought she had her, but she managed to knock Yuri's kunai away and grab her by her throat in the blink of an eye.

"Foolish girl, trying to use my own tehnique as a cover." Her grip around her throat tightened and Yuri gasped.

"I am a master at silent killing; you cannot sneak up on me."

"**No**, Yuri!" She heard Shikamaru shout from somewhere behind her.

He must've found Ino and realized who it was the demon had ahold of. Vita's lip curled back over her teeth, and for a moment, Yuri could've sworn she'd seen fangs.

"I've had a change of heart! You will be the first to perish, Yuri. I will enjoy watching your teammates' faces as they watch thier precious comrade die. Let's see you use that Wind Jutsu again, hmm?"

_'No!'_

Yuri couldn't breath, she couldn't speak.

_'I can't die like this...!'_

As her grip tightened it felt as if Yuri's neck was snapping, and it probably was. The death grip her hands that had held onto her arm began to loosen as Yuri continued to be choked to death. While Yuri wanted her teammates to come and save her, she wanted more for them to stay back, to not let Vita get them too.

_'I don't want them to die...they're important to me.'_

Yuri quit her struggling, and let her arms fall to her sides. Her hand brushed against her shuriken holister.

"Yuri!" Shikamaru cried desperately.

Yuri's vision slowly turned black.

_"It's my only chance..."_

As fast as she could, Yuri pulled out a shuriken and aimed for Vita's arm. The devil-woman managed to dodge the attack. Another menacing chuckle sliped past her lips before glaring at her. She smiled one last time before throwing her away.

Yuri toppled and skidded on the ground before Shikamaru caught her. She weakly pushed him away before she began to cough up blood. Unnoticed by her, Shikamaru sent Vita a death glare.

"Everyone!" Ino shouted, fear evident in her voice,

"We've got to get Yuri and get away from here! Run for it now!"

Yuri felt Shikamaru move away from her, but she was not concerned. She was still having a hard time breathing through the blood and the sudden tightness of her throat.

"So, now you're picking on the women, huh?"

Vita could be heard laughing through the debris.

"I've had about enough of your mouth, boy."

In a flash, Vita was standing before them, and snatched Shikamaru up by his throat. She kicked the other three away with a swift blow, only to have them dispell in a wisp of smoke. Shikamaru smiled one last time before he, too, disappeared. Vita fist clentched the air, and she uprooted the earth angrily, tossing into a tree with a furious scream.


	9. Danger!: Bloodlust In The Forest Part II

"We have to split up."

Ino froze in her tracks, brushing her hair from her eyes.

"Are you crazy?! We couldn't defeat her with all four of us together, what makes you think that we stand a chance on our own?"

Shikamaru grinned, much to Ino's dismay. He tapped his temple lightly.

"She got brute strength, but she isn't very bright. You saw how easily she was duped by four Genin and their basic academy substitution jutsu. Her main attack is that earth-style jutsu she used to absorb the earth. Using it, she can bend it to her will. Other than that..."

He noticed the red of Yuri's neck. The skin was already starting to bruise.

"Anyways, we'll split up in groups of two again."

"Nuh uh!!" Ino cried, making an X across her chest with her arms.

"We all saw how well that worked out last time!!"

"One group will intentionally create a diversion for the demon," He continued, ignoring her.

"That group will have to effectively either cut her off from her flow of chakra or incapacitate her. Do that, and she can't use her rock technique. The other group has to go after an Earth scroll."

"Cut off her flow of chakra?" Chouji questioned.

"How could we do that?"

"Just get her to use her jutsu on you over and over again. That's why the best candidates to serve as that diversion would be Ino and Chouji."

"What?!" Ino screeched, insulted.

"Why me?!"

"Because my Shadow Possession doesn't work on her," Shikamaru explained dully, scratching his head.

"When I used it on her back in Stone, she only pretended to be caught long enough for one of us to get close to her so she could knock them for a loop. Since my jutsu traveled along the ground, and she could control the ground, my jutsu was null against her. Since all shadows travel across the ground, I can't catch her in it. But you can use your mind control jutsu, Ino, then Chouji can lay her into the ground. Just exit her body before the impact."

Yuri slowly nodded, impressed.

"That's a really good idea..."

"We'll meet up in front of the tower in exactly one day, alright?"

"One day?!"

"This is only day two out of five, Ino."

"Only one day has passed?"

Rolling his eyes, he turned his attention to Yuri.

"You still have the Heaven scroll, right?"

Yuri nodded, patting down the pouch on her leg confidently.

"Alright. Now, let's get going. Ino, Chouji, you guys follow several yards behind us. Don't run off until you're positive you hear or see Vita. With any luck, we won't have to split up."

"Right."

Leading the way, Shikamaru leaped from the branch they had been resting on. He halted after a few seconds, throwing his arm out in front of his teammates. Below him, a squad of Rain ninja passed. He cast quick glance behind him, and saw that only Yuri was with him.

_"Looks like Ino and Chouji already found their mark."_

"Alright, Yuri. I'm going to catch them, and you search all of them for an Earth scroll. Easy."

"Yes."

His fingers clasped together, and the shinobi muttered amongst themselves as their movement was suddenly impaired. Yuri jumped down from the branch, and her fingers closed around a scroll. Pulling it out of his pocket, her shoulders slumped. It was a blue Heaven scroll.

"Search them all, in case they already have both," Shikamaru called above her.

The second shinobi didn't have anything but a few kunai and a paper bomb. But the third...

"Got it!" Yuri cried in triumph, holding an Earth scroll above her head.

"Hey!" The third shinobi whined uselessly.

"Give that back!"

Yuri jumped back into the tree, and Shikamaru released the shinobi from his jutsu. Suddenly, a familiar voice nearby cut through the forest.

"I'm tired of you showing off in front of Sasuke and trying to get all the credit!"

Yuri and Shikamaru halted, gazing at one another in understanding.

"Ino," They droned in unison.

"That's what the must've been sidetracked by... Not Vita..." Yuri mused aloud.

"Aww man... What a drag... I suppose we have to go help them, now?"

"Of course!"

Yuri jumped into the clearing.

"N-Naruto!!"

She ran over the the blonde, unconscious as he lay, his kunai pouch resting below his head. Sasuke lay beside of him, Sakura and Lee kneeling on the ground. They were both in pretty bad shape.

"What happened to Naruto?!"

"Yuri! Shikamaru! You two sure were fast getting here. Do you already have an Earth scroll?"

"Yeah."

Shikamaru scratched his head, scowling as he surveyed the Sound shinobi.

"Though that doesn't look a whole lot like Vita..."

"Shut up!" Ino commanded.

"I'm not just going to leave Sasuke here when he needs our help!"

"These Leaf village _worms _will be sorry they squirmed their way into something that doesn't concern them," The bandaged shinobi of the Sound growled.

Chouji whimpered, and tried to scramble away from Ino. Shikamaru pounced, grabbing Chouji's scarf and dragging him back into the clearing.

"Are you guys crazy?" Chouji whined.

"What are we even doing here? These guys are bad news, man!"

"Don't look at me," Shikamaru reprimanded.

"It was Ino's idea! But what are we supposed to do, just sit back and let a _girl _do all the fighting?"

Ino chuckled, glancing between the three of her teammates.

"Sorry for dragging you guys into this, but we _are _a squad, right? All for one and one for all!"

"I guess, what's meant to happen, will," Shikamaru reasoned.

"This ain't teamwork!!" Chouji moaned, still trying to weasel his way out of Shikamaru's grasp.

"I call this suicide!! Just let me out of here! Please! Let me go!"

"Stop your whining. You're getting on my nerves!"

Another of the Sound shinobi chuckled, watching the team argue.

"Better a live sheep than a dead lion," He commented.

"Right... Fatty?"

Chouji instantly stopped squirming. His ear twitched, and fire sparked in his gaze as he glared down the shinobi who's spoken.

"Did I just hear that right? What did that guy just say?"

_"Uh oh,"_ Shikamaru snickered.

_"That guy just pushed Chouji's button big-time."_

"You wanna try saying that again?" Chouji challenged.

"I said you're smart to get out while you can, _fatso_."

He whirled on the ninja, veins popping in his head.

"I'm not fat, I'm just a little chubby, okay?!" He screamed.

"That does it!! Now this is personal! It's a fight to the death between the Leaf and Sound!"

_"Excellent,"_ Ino chimed.

_"He's totally lost it."_

"Good job. Thanks a lot," Shikamaru droned.

"Now _we _gotta live with him."

"Don't worry, it won't be for long," The second Sound shinobi retorted.

"Sakura," Ino adressed.

"Your teammates are down. Look after them."

Sakura nodded weakly, smiling in appreciation. Yuri left Naruto's side, and rose to stand beside Shikamaru.

"Okay team Ino," Ino chimed boldly.

"Let's show 'em who's boss."

"Got it," The three shinobi replied in unison.

"Formation, Yu-Ino-Shika-Cho!"

"Take it away, Chouji!"

"My pleasure! Baika no Jutsu!!"

Chouji's limbs and head vanished into his sleeves as his body expanded. He began to roll towards the second sound ninja, the one who'd called him "fatty".

"You've got to be kidding. Maybe I'm supposed to laugh myself to death! Slicing sound wave!"

He thrust his hands forward, and air pumped out from tubes in the palms of his hands. Chouji rolled in place against the force of the wind. Chouji ramped himself against the air stream, soaring into the air.

"Zaku!" The bandaged man called, running to his teammate's aid.

_"Oh no you don't mummy man."_

Shikamaru clasped his hands together in his signature jutsu.

_"I'll put you under wraps."_

"Ninja Art: Kagamane no Jutsu!"

His shadow flew across the ground towards the "mummy-man", catching him in his tracks.

"Wh-what is this?!"

"Oh, nothing. Just me and my shadow. _Heh heh_..."

Chouji crashed down onto Zaku, who waiting until the human boulder was upon him to his him to push himself out of danger for himself. The bandaged shinobi placed his hands up by his head, making it look like he had antlers on his head. Shikamaru, making the same gestures, smiled, pleased with himself.

"What are you doing, Dosu?!" The kunoichi of the Sound team demanded.

"Why are you just standing there?!"

"It's... some kind of paralysis jutsu..."

Shikamaru continued to make guestures with his hands.

"Ino, I'll leave the girl to you."

"You got it!" Ino called, stepping forward.

"Just take care of my body while I'm gone, Yuri."

An irritatted sigh escaped her lips.

_"I want to do more than just this..."_

Ino made a single hand sign.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Yuri caught her body as she fell.

"Kin! What's wrong with you!"

Kin's eyes changed, and a mischevious glint glazed in them. She raised a kunai knife to her own neck.

"Alright, fellas. Party's over. You don't want your buddy to get it in the throat, do you? So I'll tell you want you do. Just leave the scroll, and walk away. When you're far enough away that I can't sense your chakras, I'll let her go."

The two sound shinobi snickered. Zaku raised his hand to Kin's body, and the air stream shot towards her. Chouji rolled bewteen the air and Kin, knocking her into the tree behind her, but shielding her from the attack. Blood trickled from the corner of Ino's limp body.

"Oh no," Yuri moaned.

"This isn't good."

"I don't feel so good," Chouji groaned, holding his hand to his mouth as the jutsu ended.

"I... don't understand you guys," Kin muttered, glaring up at the Sound shinobi.

"What kind of monsters would attack their own teammates?"

"I guess... Monsters like us," Zaku chided.

"You see, we don't play this game by _your _rules. It's not the _scrolls _we're after, or even passing this _test_."

"What then?" Kin demanded, breathless.

"...Sasuke."

Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu subsided, and Dosu flexed his fingers gratefully. Yuri passed Ino's body off to Shikamaru, since his jutsu was now null. She jumped into the trees, bloting from the clearing. If she remember correctly, that Lee guy's teammates were Neji of the Hyuuga and Tenten...

"Hey, Yuri! Where are you going!"

"Finally, one of you Leaf idiots gets some common sense!"

"So, your paralysis jutsu has a pretty limited duration, I see."

"Shadow Possession jutsu. Get your jutsus right."

"Whatever. And I see your teammate is able to slip her soul into her opponent. Very clever, but _dangerous_. Anything that happens to Kin happens to _her_, too, so, let's say Kin were to _die_..."

"What're you going to do?! Kill your teammate?!"

"Well, if push comes to shove," Zaku chuckled, extending his arm back out to Kin again,

"Yeah."

A sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh slipped past Shikmaru's lips.

"Oh man, what a drag!!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Chouji agreed from the dirt.

"Did you really think you could beat us?" Zaku asked confidently.

"Face it. You ninja are just a bunch of hacks."

"From a second-rate village," Dosu added.

"That's pretty tough talk," Yuri challenged from the branches.

"I guess that makes _your _village third-rate."

"Come again, brat?" Dosu bristled.

"Yuri, don't piss him off. He'll kill his own teammate, and that'll kill Ino," Shikamaru warned.

"I see you've been using our teammate as a punching bag," Neji observed, stepping up beside Yuri.

Tenten followed closely behind.

"_Nobody _does that to _our _team."

"You Leaf ninja just keep coming out of the forest like cockroaches," Dosu growled.

"Come down here and do something about it."

"Actually," Neji admitted with a smirk.

"It might've been taken out of my hands."

"Huh?"

Everyone in the clearing turned towards where Tenten was staring in awe. Sasuke had risen to his feet, but he wasn't like anything anyone had seen before. Chakra spiralled around him so powerfully, it was _visible_.

"Sasuke...?" Kin questioned skeptically, as if she wasn't sure that it was him.

"Sakura... who did this to you?" Sasuke demanded.

Black marks covered his body, and he lifted his hands, observing the marks with obvious interest.

"Sakura... Tell me. Which one of these people did this to you?"

"That'd be _me_," Zaku admitted gleefully.

Yuri glanced around, and saw Shikamaru fleeing back into the bushes, carrying Ino's limp body.

"Ino! Get back in your body! You guys don't want to get involved in this! You too, Chouji, Yuri!!" He called, ducking down into the greenery.

"I'm coming!" Chouji replied, running for cover.

"Mind Transer Release!" Kin yelled.

Ino moaned, her eyelids fluttering.

"Shikamaru! What's this all about? What's going on?" Chouji whined, ducked down lower than Shikamaru had.

"How should I know?"

"Yuri!"

"Oh, right..."

She jumped down with her teammates.

"That a girl," He greeted.

"Good to have you back."

Sasuke turned on Zaku, glowering at him dangerously as the black marks spread to the rest of his body.

"What's wrong, Dosu? You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"Zaku, no! You don't understand!"

"Watch this! I'll take care of all of them in one fell swoop!"

He raised his arms, opening his palms.

"Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

A blast of wind leveled the clearing, matching those of Yuri's wind jutsu. Team ten ducked behind the bushes for cover.

"What do you know?" Zaku snickered when the winds subsided.

"Blew them all away."

"Not quite."

Zaku didn't even have time to look at his attacker as Sasuke struck him, sending him rolling across the clearing to Dosu's feet. He'd gotten both Sakura and Naruto out of harm's way.

_"Such speed..." _Yuri mused.

Sasuke made several hand signs, faster than Yuri would've thought possible.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

"I don't think so!"

Zaku help out his palms again, extinguishing the flames of the pheonix flower jutsu. But hidden in the flames were shuriken.

"Ahhh!"

"Zaku, get down!"

But it was too late. Zaku's body was shredded by the blades. Sasuke was behind him in the blink of an eye once the shuriken had passed. He grabbed Zaku's arms, placing his foot on his back. Chouji cowered, his hands to his ears and his back to the scene. But the other three of team ten couldn't look away.

"You seem so very proud of these arms of yours... Very... _attached_, to them..."

"No, please, don't!!"

But Sasuke ignored him, and with a sickening _snap_, broke them in a single jerk. He then threw his opponent onto the ground carelessly.

"Looks like you're the only one left," Sasuke said, amused.

"I hope you make things more interesting than your friend."

Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes, She was obviously having a hard time watching Sasuke fight like this. Rising her her feet, she sprinted after him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Stop, Sasuke... Please..."

Though he glared intensely at her, the marks on Sasuke's body receeded. He collapsed onto the ground, Sakura still holding onto him.

"You're strong, Sasuke," Dosu murmured.

He placed a Heaven scroll on the ground.

"Too strong. We can't defeat you as we are. I'll strike you a deal... I give you this scroll, and you let us go."

Without waiting for an answer, he gathered up his teammates, and shuffled out of the clearing.

"Wait!" Sakura called after him boldly.

"Who is this Orochimaru, anyways? What's he done to Sasuke? And why _Sasuke_?"

"I don't know," Dose replied, coming to a halt.

"All I know, it that we were told to target Sasuke, and we did."

That being said, Dosu continued to leave the clearing.


	10. Gaara of the Desert

"Hey," Chouji nervously yelled out.

"You guys okay?"

"Ino, you look after Lee. We'll look at that kid."

"Right!"

"Sakura's in danger!" Naruto muttered in his sleep, grinning.

"Don't worry Sakura, I've save you, don't you worry..."

"Woah. Someone outta kick him and wake him up. This is embarrassing."

"Can I kick him first?" Chouji volunteered.

"Nah, I got a better idea."

Shikamaru handed Chouji a large stick, almost as thick as a plank of wood.

"W-wait, don't--!!" Yuri tried to reason.

But her efforts fell on deaf ears.

"Gwaaaahhhh!!!" Naruto cried, clutching his head as he came to.

His eyes bolted around the clearing, then flung himself to the ground.

"The Grass Ninja!! Everybody hide!! Get down! That ninja... Where could she be hiding?"

Chouji poked Naruto in the back of the head with the stick. Shikamaru spectated with an amused grin, hands in his pockets.

"You really are one of a kind, that's for sure. And I mean, you're the kind that gets on my nerves."

"Mhmm," Chouji agreed, bringing the stick up to his shoulders.

"Oh, Sakura!! Sakura Sakura!!"

Naruto sprinted over to said girl, skidding on his knees.

"What's going on here?"

"Explaining things to you is going to be such a pain," Shikamaru groaned.

"Everyone... Just showed up to help."

Tenten jumped down from her perch in the trees.

"I'll take Lee from here, Ino."

"Uh... Okay."

She handed him over to her, who shook Lee violently until he awoke. Tenten then scolded him about how he was a fool for rushing into battle to rashly.

"Oi! Bushy brow!!"

"Naruto, you better not say anything bad about Lee!"

Sakura balled her hand into a fist, and laid into Naruto. Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head.

"That Naruto is completely out of the loop."

"So far out of the loop, he doesn't even know there's a loop," Chouji agreed.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino called.

"Come over here. I want to fix your hair for you, okay?"

Sakura nodded haphazardly, as Ino pulled out a kunai, and cut at Sakura's hair cautiously. Cracking her knuckles, Yuri flexed her arms over her head. She hadn't been much of a help at all over the course of this exam, and it irritated her. Even though Lee and the others had tried and failed, at least they'd done _something_. She fixed her sight on a cloud in the sky.

"We should get going," Yuri murmured.

"You say something, Yuri?" Chouji asked, cupping a hand around his ear.

"I said, we should get going."

"Oh, right. Yeah, we should."

He turned to Shikamaru, tilting his head in question, who nodded.

"If you two girls are done playing dress-up, we need to head to the tower."

* * *

Chouji reached into his bag, pulling out another bag of chips.

"I still... _munch_... don't... _munch_... get it..." He muttered between crunches.

"What are they doing?"

Ino rolled her eyes, ignoring the oblivious ninja.

"Hurry up!"

Ino and Chouji ran back inside. Yuri squirmed in Shikamaru's arms.

"I can walk on my own, Shika-kun..." She assured him.

Shikamaru shook his head.

"I don't know... after the graceful stumble you took out there fighting those Collectors, I'm not so sure," He responded.

Yuri frowned, pushing him away from her. Shikamaru tensed in agony.

"Not there," He snapped.

"Get comfortable somewhere else."

"Sorry, Shikamaru-kun, but if you'd let me go, I'd kindly oblige."

The two entered the room. Ino and Chouji sat across from one another. Catching sight of her other two comrades, Ino called out to them.

"Hey, hey, what are we supposed to do?"

Shikamaru's gaze traveled up the walls and ceiling as he gently set Yuri down onto the tiled floor.

"Hey, check that out," He said, pointing to a poster on the wall.

Yuri looked up.

" 'If you do not possess Heaven...' "

Her voice trailed off.

"I don't understand. 'If you do not possess knowledge then be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. This is the secret of '... ummm... something, something...'It shall lead you on your way.' "

Ino tutted.

"What's all that garbage supposed to mean?" She demanded.

"Secret of something something..." Shikamaru repeated, scanning the poster.

"There's a part of the message missing."

He gazed down at the scrolls.

"Maybe we're supposed to figure out the rest of that puzzle, and the missing part is inside of them..."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ino asked, peeling at the edge of the scroll.

"Don't!" Shikamaru commanded, snatching the scroll away from Ino.

She glared up at him.

"We don't have any clue what to expect once we open these scrolls," Shikamaru explained dully.

"For all we know, these scrolls could be- "

"Boobytrapped," Yuri finished, catching on.

Shikamaru nodded.

"But then again, if we don't open them, then what **do** we do?"

Yuri swallowed, plucking the Heaven scroll from Shikamaru's grasp. She gingerly peeled at the corner of the scoll.

"Well... it doesn't look like we have much of a choice..."

Shikamaru took the Earth scroll from Chouji. He started peeling at his scroll. Glancing at Yuri, she gave a nod of encouragement. The two tore open the scroll in unison. Shikamaru's eye twitched.

" 'Person'? 'Jin'?"

Smoke slowly started to rise from the scrolls, Yuri staring at it curiously. Shikamaru's eyes widened in realization. He threw his scroll against the wall opposite of him as if it had been a blowtorch.

"Yuri, drop that scroll!" He commanded.

"That's a summoning inscription!!"

Yuri quickly obeyed, chucking the scroll beside Shikamaru's. The smoke thickened as the silhouette of a person became visable. Gradually, the smoke finally subsided, and a Konoha ninja stood on top of the scrolls, his left hand on his hip.

"Yo," He greeted lazily, raising his right hand in awknowledgment.

"Alright, what the heck's goin' on here?" Shikamaru demanded.

The Chuunin's long black hair fell over his shoulders as he leaned forward. He had tanned skin, and was tall and slender. He kept his eyes closed.

"From the looks of it, the four of you went through a bunch of trouble."

"Huh?" Ino asked.

"Who are you, and why'd you appear through that summoning jutsu?"

The Chuunin rocked back and forth on his heels.

"We Chuunin are to welcome you Genin at the end of the Second Exam," He explained.

"The name's Oboro. I was the oh-so fortunate one selected to pass a message to the four of you."

Ino proped her hands on her hips.

"Well, he sure sounds _thrilled_ to be here."

Oboro pulled a watch from his pocket, ingnoring Ino's remark. He cracked open one eye ever so slighty.

"You guys still have an entire day until the end of the exam. A day, twleve hours, thirty-four minutes, seven seconds, to be precise."

He snapped his watch shut, closing his eyes again.

"Alright, I'll only say this once, so listen up."

He leaned his back against the wall.

"Obviously, you've pased the Second Exam, or else you wouldn't be here now-"

"So, just out of curiousity, what would you have done if we had opened the scrolls during the Exam?" Shikamaru interjected.

Oboro opened his eye long enough to glare at the lazy Genin for interrupting him, before closing it again.

"I would have had to put all three of you out of commisioning," He replied flatly.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue with the explaination of the Third and Final Exam."

He waved his hand at the Large wall scroll beside him.

"This is the principal that Hokage-sama wrote that he advises all Chuunin should keep firmly in mind. Heaven stands for a person's mind, and Earth signifys a person's body. So, in other words, if you don't possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared, and vice versus for Earth."

He lowered his hand, placing it back on his hip.

"Basically, if you're an idiot, start studying so you won't be. If your body is weak and slow, train it so you won't be."

Shikamaru tutted.

"He really has a way with words."

Yuri giggled. Oboro peered at Shikamaru dangerously.

"With both Heaven and Earth, any mission will become safer, and overall easier."

"Alright, but that still doesn't explain the missing letters on the scroll," Shikamaru retorted.

"It symbolizes the traits of a Chuunin," He answered, picking up the Earth scroll.

"The "person" character that was in here,"

He pointed to the scroll,

"...goes in there."

He guestured to the scroll on the wall.

"The Second Exam you just finished put the basic abilities of Konoha Chuunin to the test. And you guys have passed. The Chuunin leads mission. He is a commander, a leader. If you forget everything I tell you today, remember this: All Chuunin must possess Heaven and Earth. Without them, you will never reach Chuunin level, let alone Jounin. Now, that's all I was told to tell you, so..."

Oboro yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

"What are we supposed to do for an entire day?" Shikamaru demanded.

Oboro shrugged.

"Hang out here, sleep, eat... That's for you to figure out."

He vanished in a puff of smoke. Ino groaned.

"He was a big help," She griped.

"How will we know when the Third Exams begin?!"

Shikamaru sighed.

"What a troublesome person..."

"Who?" Ino demanded.

"Me or the Oboro guy?"

"Both," He replied.

Yuri giggled again. Ino glared daggers.

"Why you..."

Ino growled, then lunged. But Shikamaru had been expecting that, and did a back roll out of the way.

"Stay away from me, woman."

Ino began yelling, but Yuri tuned them out. He attention was on a red head across the hall. It was the same, teal, black-rimmed eyed boy she had sat beside of in the first Chuunin exam.

_"Isn't his name..."_

She couldn't put her finger on his name. Curiousity overwhelmed her, and she slowly got to her feet to follow the boy. He rounded a corner at the end of a hall. Yuri persued him, but as she turned down the corridor, she was greeted by a wall. She had hit a dead end. Her eyebrows furrowed.

_"Where did he...?"_

As her eyes darted around the walls, sand flowed about her feet. Yuri glanced from side to side. It wasn't until she glanced at the floor that she noticed the sand. She was caught inbetween fright, and more curiousity.

"How in the world- ?"

"What do you think you're doing, following me around?" A cold voice demanded.

Yuri's body froze over. Sand crunched behind her as the boy moved closer to her.

"I said, what do you think you're doing?" He repeated.

The boy, whoever he was, was right behind Yuri. She could feel his body heat he was so close.

"Why don't you answer me?" He hissed.

"Are you, perhaps... _afraid _of me?"

The sand coiled around her ankles, slowly snaking its way up her legs.

"You'd like to run now, wouldn't you?" He seethed.

Yuri swallowed, gradually cranimg her neck around to see who it was behind her. She was greeted by black-rimmed teal orbs filled with a lust for blood. Her eyes widened. It was the boy that had sat beside of her during the First Exam.

_"...Gaara!!"_

Gaara's eyes hardened.

"You're not running away from me... You'll never run again... You'll never **breathe** again!!"

The sand tightened around Yuri, now up to her waist. Her wounded leg throbbed furiously. Her lips parted in a blood-curdling scream. Gaara's lips twisted into an insane smile. His sand quickly reacted to muffle Yuri's screams. He began to drag her down into the sea of sand below her, merciless. Yuri writhed and against her opponent, but to no avail. The sand was impossibly strong. She fell to her knees, the sand lacing up her neck.

"You shouldn't have strayed... And now you'll **die**!!"


	11. How Curiousity Almost Killed The Cat

"You shouldn't have strayed... And now you'll **die**!!"

"Gaara, don't!!"

A girl with dirty blonde hair rushed to the scene. A boy with brown hair was behind her. He glared at Gaara from over the girl's shoulder.

"Gaara, don't do this," She coaxed.

"Think about the consequences, please- !"

"I don't care about the consequences!" Gaara snapped.

"She was following me... She got in my way... And now she dies..."

Gaara's hand began to close into a fist. Yuri whimpered from the floor. The boy pushed past his suppressor.

"Look, Gaara. You can't just go around killing people off, not at a time like this, we're here for a specific reason, remem- ?"

"Shut up!" Gaara roared.

The brunette shunned back behind the blonde girl.

"I don't care what my father says... I'll **kill** her!!"

* * *

Shikamaru's dark eyes glanced around the room. He and Ino were long over thier fighting, calling a truce... for the time being. He stood up, double-taking the features of the room and its contents. He furrowed his eyebrows. Someone was missing.

"Hey, either one of you see Yuri anywhere?"

"Huh?" Ino asked, thrown off by the question.

Her gaze swivled around the room.

"I didn't even notice she was gone, she's usually so quiet, so I just thought..."

Chouji shook his head, setting down his bag of chips.

"Actually, now that you say something, Shikamaru, I think I saw her leave down there..."

He pointed down the corridor.

"...right after that Oboro guy left."

The lazy genin's eye twitched.

"Then why didn't you say something earlier?!" He demanded.

He turned on heel, running down the hallway that Chouji had indicated.

"W-wait!" Ino stammered.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Yuri!" Shikamaru called over his shoulder.

"That guy left over two hours ago!"

"Well, wait for us!" Ino yelled, running oafter him.

"Come on, Chouji!"

"Right!"

Shikamaru skidded down the corridor, and felt his entire body bristle.

"Where is-?" Ino began.

She froze when she saw Yuri, caught in Gaara's sand. Chouji swallowed hard beside of her. Shikamaru was the first to break the silence.

"Hey!" He screamed, taking a step forward.

"That's our teammate you've got there, and I'd appreciate it if you gave her back."

It took all of his will power to stand his ground when Gaara turned to glare at him. The red head dropped his sand, and Yuri collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Yuri!"

Her teammates rushed forward as the three sand shinobi deserted the scene. Swallowing at the lump in her throat, her fingers clawed at the closest thing to her. She caught Shikamaru's sleeve, tugging on it as she struggled to sit up.

"I... I'm not a fan of splitting up anymore..."

* * *

"First off, congratulations on passing the Second Exam."

She tried to focus on the Hokage, but she could feel the red-haired sandmaster's eyes boring into her.

She looked over to see Zaku. Both of his arms appeared to be rendered completely useless, as they were in a sling. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, even though he'd just tried to kill them a matter of days ago.

"We will now have an explanation of the the Third Exam from Lord Hokage," The proctor of the Second Exam, Anko, announced.

"Listen up!"

"They're all yours, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage nodded gratefully, and steped forward towards the Genin.

"The Third Exam will soon begin, but before the explanation, there's one thing I want to make clear of all of you."

He paused, puffing lightly on his pipe.

"It's about the true purpose of this exam, and about why we do a joint exam with the allied nations."

"_ "To maintain good relations with the allied nations_" and _"hieghten the level of the ninja..."_ Do not let those reasons decieve you. This "exam", so to speak, is..."

_"So to speak?" _Yuri pondered.

"The epitome of a war between the allied nations."

"What d'you mean, old man?" The black-clad shinobi demanded.

A shudder ran down her spine, and Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder.

The Hokage acknowledges his question by removing the pipe from his mouth.

"If we go back through history, the allied nations right now were anything but at peace. Nieghboring nations fought, and to avoid wasting military power those countries decided to find a place to fight. This is the orgin of the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"Why do we have to do that?" Naruto asked.  
"Aren't we doing this to select Chuunin?"

"Yes, this Exam does examine those who are worthy of the Chuunin title," The Hokage replied.

"But, on the other hand, it's also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity."

"So, that means that lords from the various countries here may come to watch the Third Exam?" Ino asked.

"That is correct," The Hokage answers her.

"Also, at the same time, countries are able to show how thier village has grown and possess exellent military power to the adjacent countries. In other words, they can put foreign pressure on one another."

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" Kiba Inuzuka demanded.

"A country's power is the village's power. The village's power is the ninja's power." The Hokage replied, referring to Kiba's question.

"And a ninja's true power is only born in a life-or-death battle. This Exam is also to display the power of one's country. Since this is an exam where you fight with your life on the line, it has meaning. And your predeccors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chuunin Exam because of it."

"But, then why do you say that this is to promote good relations?" Tenten asked.

The Hokage grimaced.

"I told you at the beginning not to get confused with that. The custom of showing one's life's worthiness and fighting to maintain balance... that is the good relation in the world of the shinobi. This is a life-or-death battle for you and your village's dignity."

"I don't care," Came Gaara's cold voice from ahead of her.

"I can handle anything you throw at me, just give me the details of this life-or-death exam."

_"So hasty."_

Yuri giggled, earning herself a deadly glare from Gaara. She shivered again, and Shikamaru groaned beside of her, muttering about "troublesome women".

The Hokage nodded.

"I will now begin the explaination of the Third Exam, but..."

Suddenly, a man in a green Konohagakure uniform fell from what appeared to be the curiously scanned the ceiling for any entrances.

He bowed respectively in front of the Hokage.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," He began in a sickly tone.

"I, Gekkou Hayate, proctor, will explain."

"Please do," Hokage replied.

The man turned his head towards the genin.

"Everyone, before we begin the Third Exam..."

He paused to cough. Once. Twice... and a half.

"...There's something I want you all to do..."

Hayate coughed, before continuing, "A preliminary round, to decide who gets to participate in the main event."

"Preliminary!" Shikamaru raged.

"What do you mean?"

"Sensei... I don't understand this preliminary, but why isn't everyone allowed to participate in the Third Exam automatically?" Yuri questioned.

"Because...the first and second exams may have been too easy this year," Hayate replied, stressing the word _because_. It was probably because he suppressed coughing during his sentence.

"We have too many people remaining, and according to the Chuunin Exam rules, we must hold a series of preliminary rounds and reduce the number of participants remaining for the Third Exam. As Hokage-sama made clear earlier, there will be important guests attending the Third Exam, and we can't afford to waste their time. Without preliminaries being held, the fights could take longer than the time we have permits."

Hayate coughed, then continued.

"So... anyone of you who aren't feeling up to it... and don't think you're in top physical condition..." He coughed numerous more times.

"Sorry about that..." Hayate apologized quietly.

"Those who feeling like quitting, please step forward now. We don't have any time to waste, and follow immeadiately after this explanation, we'll hold the preliminaries."

"What?" Kiba exclaimed.

"Right now?"

"But, we just barely made it through the Second Exam," Ino whined.

"Oh, and before I forget... battles will be one on one individual combat. No more team basis. Team mates won't pay the price if one of you decide to fall back now."

Some time passed, before a Leaf ninja raised his hand.

"All right. You got me, I'm out," Came the male's voice.

"Same with me. I'm outta here."

"Uhhh... Yakushi Kabuto and Misumi Tsurugi right?" Hayate asked, flipping a few pages on the clipboard in his hands.

"Alright, you can go."

Naruto looked shocked, as if he refused to believe it.

"But... but Kabuto!"

"Sorry, Naruto-kun... I'm all worn out now. To tell the truth, ever since that incedent with the Sound village, I haven't had any hearing at all in my left ear. And now, to put my life on the line? I just can't do it."

Naruto looked hurt and betrayed, staring after Kabuto as he left. Hayate coughed, once again gaining the attention of all the genin.

"Well, this cause a bit of a problem," He stated blankly.

"Since those boys quit, we now have twenty entrants. The winners will advance to the Third Exam. There... aren't any rules, really. The fight continues, until one is either knocked unconsious, admits deafeat, or is killed. To avoid death, we ask you to admit defeat in a hopeless case. Of course, as proctor, I'm given some leway in determining matches, so if a fight gets out of hand, I'll occasionally step in to prevent as many causulties as possible."

Anko spoke into the headset propped on her head, and a panel opened. A screen was revealed behind it.

"Names will be chosen at random. You could fight someone of your village, or even of your own team."

Yuri's blood ran cold as she envisioned her worst case scenario.

_**'Gaara**_

_**versus.**_

_**Noemi Yuri'**_

Her head throbbed, and she reached up to touch her temple.

"Now, let the preliminaries begin," Hayate continued, pointing towards the screen. The screen lit up, and names flashed rapidly above and below the vs. icon. Everyone's attention snapped to the board. Yuri's hand shook. If everyone else knew of Gaara's cruel strength, they'd be shaking, too.

"It's alright, Shikamaru whispered, steering her to the balcony.

"The chances of you fighting Gaara are slim to none."

"Someone will have to fight him," She murmured softly, allowing herself to be guided away.


	12. The Preliminaries

"It's not your turn, woman."

"Sasuke... and Yoroi?"

Shikamaru nodded, but Yuri hardly felt compelled enough to relax. She turned and gazed up at her sensei, who had joined them shortly after they'd walked upstairs. She leaned against the railing, turning her back to the fight as it began.

"Not going to watch the battle?" Asuma inquired.

"No, " She replied honestly, gazing at her fingernails.

"I already know the outcome of this fight."

"Oh really? And what might that be?"

"Sasuke will win. No contest..."

Asuma clucked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, reaching into his vest pocket for his cigarettes.

"You shouldn't make assumptions like that. Don't tell me you've jumped onto the Sasuke bandwagon."

He cast a wary glance at Ino, as if he thought she might've worn off on his other female pupil. She must not have noticed him, because she watched the fight below with great interest. Yuri shook her head.

"It's not that. I've just... Seen him fight before."

She cast a fleeting glance over her shoulder, momentarily spectating to the battle below. Yoroi lunged onto Sasuke, his hand glowing. He grasped ahold of the Uchiha's head, pulling at his hair as he pinned him to the ground. The Uchiha cried aloud, kicking Yoroi off of him.

"He isn't one to be defeated so easily."

Glancing around, she caught the eye of Gaara. A cold fist wrapped itself around her heart. Her leg wasn't all that bad off, but it still throbbed from the pressure of the sand.

_"...But I'd sooner fight Sasuke than _him_."_

"The winner of the first round, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the finals," Hayate announced hoarsely.

Sasuke's sensei quickly jumped down to the ground level, escorting his pupil out of the training grounds. Yuri frowned, wondering if his sensei's hasty retrieval of his student had something to do with the weird marks Sasuke's skin had. Did Kakashi already know about that?

The screen bleeped softly as the names of potential opponents flitted across the panel screen. When it stopped, the next two fighters for the second round were displayed.

"Zaku and... Shino...?"

It took her a moment to recall who Shino was, but when the young male wearing sunglasses and trench coat stepped into the arena, she wondered how she'd forgotten such a "vibrant" guy.

"Now if you're both ready, we'll begin."

_"How is that Zaku guy going to fight... with no arms...?"_ Yuri pondered, eyeing his sling.

"If you fight me, you won't be able to recover. Forfeit, and withdraw," Shino warned.

"Heh! Well what do you know, I've got a little movement in one of them."

He demonstrated by removing his left arm from the sling.

"One good arm is more than enough to beat you!!"

Zaku charged, punching Shino, who easily blocked with his right.

"You couldn't beat me using _both _of your arms."

"Yeah? Well I've got news for ya!"

The tube in Zaku's palm shot a blast of air, sending Shino tumbling across the floor. He watched in satisfaction as his opponent lay on the floor, his body smoking.

"Alright, fool... You had enough?"

Shino remained silent, rising onto his feet. A strange scratching noise resounded, and a multitude of insects crawled out from Shino's skin. Yuri felt her skin begin to crawl.

"Great... Now that you've creeped us all out, what happens next?"

Behind him, an army of the bugs advanced on Zaku. He shuddered, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"They're a rare species of beetle that attack their prey in a swarm, eating its chakra," Shino explained.

"An army of this size will suck you dry in less than a minute. Your only _intelligent _option is to forfeit the match. You can't fight two opponents at once. If you use your good arm against me, my _friends _will swarm you from behind. Conversely, if you use your good arm to keep _them _at bay, then you'll have _me _on your blind side. Either way, your defeat will be certain... and unpleasant."

Shino raised his hands in front of him, clasping them together in the sign of the tiger.

"It's wise to always have an ace in the hole."

Zaku shuddered with rage. He snapped his good arm to Shino, opening his palm. Then, with obvious difficulty, he pulled his right arm from the sling, slowly opening it to the insects behind him.

"Like you said yourself... Always have an ace in the hole!"

He tried to use his air wave again, but this time, it didn't happen like he'd intended. His eyes widened in horror as chakra and air began to blow from his forearms.

"Aaargh!! My arms!! What's _wrong _with them?!"

Lifting his palms, Shino's beetles crawled out of his airways.

"Yes... I sent some of my bugs to plug up those bothersome airholes of yours. Because you see, while an ace in the hole is good, _two _aces are _better_."

Zaku roared with anger, and reached his fists back to punch his enemy. However, Shino was quicker, and struck his opponent before he could even swing. Defeated, Zake merely lay on the ground. Hayate moved closer to him to inspect the severity of his wounds. There were holes in his forearms from where the wind had tried to escape once it'd been plugged up with the bugs, and blood trickled down the corner of his his mouth.

"I'd say this one's had it," Hayate observed, straightening back to his standing position.

"The winner, is Shino Aburame."

"Alright... moving right on to the third match."

But Yuri wasn't paying attention to voices anymore. She allowed herself to slip from the railing, peering at Chouji as he entered the arena, and the black-clad man, the one from that Gaara's team.

Gaara...

Neither of their matches had happened yet. What would she do if she was paired with him? Forfeit? Would her team and Naruto think any less of her if she conceeded defeat the moment she saw both of their names on the panel at the same time?

"The winner, Kankurou."

"Chouji..."

"Don't worry about his loss, Ino. We'll all go out for barbeque after this."

"Ino, it's your turn!"

"No problem!! I've got this against billboard brow!"

"What a long battle..."

"It's a draw!!"

"Two losses in a row... What a pain..."

Lost in her own thoughts, voices filed in Yuri's mind, but were immediately dissmissed. Even when Shikamaru stepped into the arena, she barely registered what she saw.

_"That Gaara guy... He's... terrifying..."_

"Go, Shikamaru!! Whooo!"

"What a pain..."

_"If I fought that guy... Would he really _kill _me...?"_

"...Yuri."

She blinked as he sensei called her voice.

"You've been zoning out the past few fights now. Both Ino and Chouji lost their matches. Pay attention, so you can be good luck for Shikamaru," Asuma teased.

"Oh... right... Sorry, sensei..."

Upon looking up, she noticed Shikamaru facing off against the sound girl Ino had taken possession of using her mind control jutsu. Kin. Gazing to her right, Ino cheered madly for her teammate. But something else caught Yuri's eye...

_"When did Ino cut her hair...?"_

"Aw man, this is such a drag. I mean give me a break, I've got to fight a _**girl**_...?"

"Yeah, you just keep thinking that way, little man," Kin replied heatedly.

_"I know what these guys are capable from fighting them in the forest,"_ Shikamaru mused.

_"Problem is, I didn't get a look at her jutsu. And to make things worse, she saw _mine_. Oh well... Nothing I can do."_

"Are you guys ready? If so... Let the sixth match begin."

"It's all I've got," He admitted, raising his fingers in the sign of the rat.

"You're not doing that stupid shadow thing again, are you?"

"Shut your mouth! Kagemane no Jutsu!"

His shadow soared across the tile towards Kin, who jumped out of the way easily, throwing her senbon at her opponent.

"If that's the only jutsu you've got, this'll be easier than I thought!"

Shikamaru squatted down to duck the attack, the senbon embeading themselves into the wall behind him. There was a slight jingling noise as he peered back behind him to get a closer look.

"...Bells?"

"Heh! Oh please, not that old trick," He retorted.

"Let me guess... Next time, you'll throw senbon with bells and senbon without bells at the same time. I'll react to the sound of the bells, and while I'm focused on doging them, I won't notice the silent ones coming at me. Am I right? Heh! Good luck."

"You sure talk alot, don't you?"

"Now I know to be careful to dodge all the senbon, not just the one with bells."

Shikamaru demonstrated what he was saying by dodging both types of the bells. But the bells behind him rang persistently.

"What?"

Upon closer inspection, he noticed something glinting other than the bells.

"Thread? Wait... Oh man!"

"Too late!"

Shikamaru turned his attention back to Kin in time to raise his arms as his only defense against the senbon that peirced his flesh.

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried.

"One inch higher... and that would've been a fatal hit," He mused aloud, pulling the needles from his arm.

"Okay, now I get a turn!"

"Sorry, that _was _your turn."

Kin jingled the bells again, and Shikamaru fell to his knees.

"What's going on...?"

"You see, you don't ever ask for whom the bell tolls, because it tolls for thee," She answered with a smirk.

"These bells send off a peculiar vibration that travles to the outer and inner ear, then directly to the brain. First come paralysis, then you start hallucinating."

Grunting, Shikamaru covered his ears.

"It won't work," She remarked.

"You can't block it out once it's inside your head. It's useless."

"I... can't tell which one is the real one..."

"Give it up. Even if you could move, you wouldn't know which one of us to hit. Face it, you're cooked, little man!! I'm going to cook you nice and slow over a hot fire."

"You think it's that easy, huh?"

Kin's reply was throwing senbon at him, who, not knowing how to dodge the senbon and from which ones, merely raised his arm and grunted at the impact.

"That was three, next time I'll throw five. Each time I'll throw a few more until you end up looking like a hedgehog."

"Stop playing games, why don't you!"

"Hmm?"

"If you're so tough, get it over with, stop wasting my time."

Kin laughed, hollow and cruel.

"So you're not a fan of my slow and painful method, huh? Fine, suit yourself, we'll do this the quick way, then- and painful..."

Slowly, Kin's arm began to lower, She gasped in horror.

"Wh-what's wrong?! I can't move my arm...!"

"Heh. Looks like my lame shadow jutsu was a sucess after all."

"But, you haven't thrown any shadows, I made sure of it!!"

"Heh! You really don't still see it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look closely at that thread you're holding. Don't you find it strsng that it's even casting a shadow at this height?"

In demonstration, the shadow below the thread began to shift and expand, until a large shadow connected both combatants. Yuri smiled, pressing her cheeks to the bars of the railing.

"Good job, Shikamaru."

"Of course you didn't notice it, because you were concentrating on other things, like killing me."

"The shadow... It's spreading out around me... And I didn't see it coming!"

"Right. I stretched my shadow out along the line of that thread and followed it back. Now I'm attached to you!"

Shikamaru raised his arm, pointing his index finger at his opponent. Struggling vainly, Kin followed suit.

"And now? So we mirror each other's movements, so what? A cute trick, but what do you gain by it?"

"Man, you're annoying. Just shut up and watch."

He reached down, unclipping his ninja holster. When Kin was forced to do the same, she gasped.

"You must be insane! If you throw that shuriken at me, you'll just be attacking yourself!"

"Makes it kind of interesting, doesn't it?" He retorted, reaching his arm back to throw his shuriken.

"You wouldn't... You couldn't!!"

"Yeah. Like a game of chicken, let's see who ducks first!"

They both threw thier shuriken simultaneously. Shikamaru simply did a backbend, while Kin slammed her head on the wall behind her. She was rendered unconscious instantly, slumping onto the floor.

"And that's what I call use your head."

He flipped back onto his feet, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"The wise shinobi carefully calculates the layout of the battlefield, and never loses sight of his position on it. That was her problem. I made sure she was so focused on me, she didn't notice the wall inches behind her head. So when we both dodged backwards- Kabong! Now who's hearing bells?"

"Winner of the sixth match, Nara Shikamaru."

"Thatta boy, Shikamaru!" Ino cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Yeah! Way to go!" Chouji called.

By the time team ten stopped cheering for Shikamaru, there was another person jumping for joy.

"Yeah!!" Naruto cried, pumping the air with his fists.

"It's here, it's here! Finally, the moment I've been waiting for, yeah!"

"Hey, would you look at that! It's us against the kid! Hey, Akamaru, I think we just hit the lottery."

"Ugh," Lee groaned, turning his back to the stage.

"I am going to die of old age before I get my turn!"

"When you're ready... You can begin," Hayate announced.

Kiba knelt down, making the sign of the tiger. Crouching down on all fours, he charged Naruto, elbowing him in the gut. Naruto flew back, skidding across the floor, and then he was still.

"This little guy's gonna be out for a while," Kiba said confidently.

"You can called the match."

"What was that?" Yuri heard the black-clad boy on Gaara's team chuckle.

"I _blinked _and it was over. That kid's pitiful."

"I thought as much," Shikamaru retorted.

"Yeah, I knew Kiba was going to be a bit much for him, but that was quick," Ino agreed.

"Don't count him out yet..." Yuri whispered, watching Naruto as she rose back to her feet, leaning against the railing.

With a confident smirk, Kiba turned away from Naruto. Finally, from the tile, Naruto stirred. Blood trickled from his bottom lip, and his breathing was ragged, but he was standing.

"Don't ever... underestimate me!"

"Yeah, yeah, more tough talk," Kiba retorted, turning back around to face his opponent.

"Look at yourself in a mirror! You're a mess!!"

"Ha! I just wanted to see what you've got! And frankly, you hit like an old lady! You have a better chance of winning if you send that puppy in to fight for you!"

Kiba growled angrily.

"You're going to regret that... C'mon, Akamaru!!"

The dog barked, and beast and master charged again. Fishing into his shinobi tools, Kiba pulled out a handful of purple spheres.

"Smoke grenades," Yuri murmured.

"Take this!"

Kiba threw the bombs at Naruto, who shielded himself instantly with his arms as they exploded. Kiba jumped into the smoke, and shortly after, Naruto came running out, but Akamaru was waiting. Naruto stumbled back into the smoke as the dog attacked him.

"Darn," Shikamaru droned.

"The best part, and I can't see anything."

The smoke cleared, and Naruto lay on his side, Akamaru wagging his tail beside of his body. He barked at his master, who cheered.

"Yeah! This fight is over!"

Akamaru ran over to Kiba enthusiastically, leaping into his arms when Kiba extended the, and... bit his master. He latched onto his master's arm, ferociously gnawing on it.

"Akamaru? What are you doing!?"

"Suprise! Gotcha!" The dog snickered in a strangely familiar voice.

Kiba's eyes widened in horror, and "Akamaru" vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto chewing on his enemy's arm.

"You used a transformation jutsu! You little-! Let go of me!"

He shoved Naruto off of him, who looked a bit purple in the face. He gagged, clutching dramatically at his throat as he spat onto the ground.

"You smell even worse than the dog!"

In realization, Kiba looked around frantically for his lost puppy.

"Where is he? What did you do with him?!"

"He's right here!" Naruto replied, holding up said dog by its front paws.

Akamaru whined pathetically.

"How did you-?"

"Balancing a transformation and shadow clone jutsu at the same time... He shouldn't be able to do that," Shikamaru mused aloud.

"I don't know what happened, but this ain't the same Naruto we used to know."

Ino nodded in agreement. Yuri couldn't help but let a smile creep across her lips.

Kiba growled again, his lip curling back over his teeth.

"Okay. Gotten a little stronger, I see. But not strong enough. 'Cause now I'm getting serious!"

"Oh? I was hoping you might, because I seriously want to knock you out!"

Kiba took a deep breath, then reached back into his shinobi tools pouch. He tossed a small black pill the size of a bead to his pet, who swallowed it quickly.

"Naruto, if I were you, I'd let Akamaru go."

"Huh?"

Akamaru's fur turned red, his fangs lengthening, before kicking back into the stomach of the clone holding him. The clone disappeared into a puff of smoke. The dog trotted back over to hiss master's side, growling threateningly at Naruto.

"What the heck happened?" Naruto demanded.

"What was that thing you fed him? How come all his fur just turned red?"

"Are you sure you want to stick around to find out?" Kiba asked, tossing one of the small pills into his own mouth,

"Let's go Akamaru!"

Kiba crouched down, his eyes wild. His dog jumped onto his back as he made the sign of the tiger. Akamaru turned into an exact replica of his owner.

"I don't get it. What was that stuff her ate?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Those were food pills," Chouji explained.

"It's something the military developed, an energy booster that's so powerful, the troops could fight for three days and nights without taking a break. But after extended battling, it can result in high levels of anxiety and almost total exhaustion. Right now, Kiba and Akamaru's chakra is almost doubled in strength."

"Let's finish this," Kiba announced.

"Now, All Fours jutsu!"

Both "Kibas" jumping into the air, preparing to pounce on Naruto, who backflipped out of the way in the nick of time. They ran at Naruto again, but missed. One Kiba ran along the wall, skidding and jumping off of it to assult Naruto once again.

"This is bad news, for Naruto," Asuma observed.

"Kiba already fights like a wild beast, his chakra is intense enough even without enhancement. The idea of doubling the strength of his chakra? Well, they're the perfect weapon for Kiba."

Kiba pounced again, narrowly missing Naruto's head. Once Naruto jumped into the air, Kiba laughed. He spun himself in the air, twirling so quickly that he and Akamaru appeared to lose all form, becoming simply a spinning gray bullet.

"Fang over fang!"

They both crashed into Naruto. Never standing a chance, the orange-clad shinobi spun out of control, tossed violent between the two before crashing back into the ground. Akamaru and Kiba skid across the floor, watching their opponent as he lay motionless, blood pouring from a new wound on his forehead.

"I told you I was going to get serious."

"I will... become Hokage," Naruto moaned from the ground.

I will."

"And how you gonna do that?" Kiba asked.

"By lying flat on your face? I got news for ya. _I'm _gonna be Hokage!"

Kiba laughed cruelly, as Naruto struggled to sit up.

"Naruto..." Yuri murmured, gazing down at him sympathetically.

"C'mon! Do you really believe a weakling like you can be Hokage? You must be weak in the head!"

"No, Yuri murmured.

"Naruto... he isn't weak. He isn't."

With a sudden surge of adrenaline, she leaned over the railing, pressing her stomach to the metal bars.

"Get up, Naruto!!"

Naruto obeyed, swaying on his feet.

"Sorry, but... You can forget about being Hokage. Because _I'm _the top dog around here!"

"You've got to be kidding... You're a real glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

Naruto merely smirked confidently at him.

"Okay... But it's your funeral. I'm going to make sure you don't get up again!!"

Akamaru and Kiba charged at Naruto again.

"How many times are you going to use _that _move?"

"Just once more!!"

The two of them spun around again, using the fang over fang jutsu for a second time. Naruto jumped over the attack, only to be caught in the crossfire trying to land. Pulling out two more smoke grenades, Kiba and Akamaru used the fang over fang technique again, this time Naruto unable to see the attack coming. They skid out of the smokescreen, and Naruto wiped blood from his lip as the smoke cleared.

"Ha! Looks like you've run out of gas, kid."

"Yeah? Well bring it on, dog breath, 'cause no matter how many clones you make of yourself, I'll still have enough gas to beat you!"

"Ha! You always have a snappy comeback, kid, but let's see you come back from this! Let's go, Akamaru!"

Using the same smoke grenade and fang over fang jutsu, they ran at Naruto again. But when the smoke cleared, three Kibas stood in the arena. Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"Very clever, Naruto," Yuri mused aloud.

"Okay... So I see you've gotten better at the transformation jutsu. But you've forgotten one little thing. I admit, you look like me and that threw me off for a minute. But I still know which one is you. You can't hide from me! Wanna know why?"

Kiba pulled his fist back, and slammed into one of the other two Kibas.

"I can smell you, kid. There's just no getting around our sense of smell. Tough luck."

But when the smoke of the transformation jutsu cleared, Akamaru lay on the floor. Kiba growled.

"Stop messing with me!!"

He punched the remaining Kiba. When the jutsu faded on that jutsu, Akamaru lay on the ground.

"Wh-what?"

Behind him, the first Akamaru stood and transformed back into Naruto. He jumped at Kiba, who had completely dropped his guard, and kicked him in the jaw. Landing beside of Akamaru, he reached towards his unconscious dog. Angrily, he clentched his fist, glaring at Naruto.

"Who ever guessed that the Naruto we used to know could be that smart?" Ino gasped.

"The smart shinobi is careful how he uses his jutsu. Otherwise, it's likely to come back and bite him in the butt. Dummy!!"

He gave Kiba a thumbs down, grinning. Kiba furiously lifted his hand to his mouth, biting down on it as he carefully analyzed his opponent. Blood dribbled down his palm. Reaching into his shinobi pouch, he pulled out four shuriken between his fingers in each hand.

"So, are you finally getting serious, Kiba? Good!"

Naruto clasped his hands together in the sign of the tiger.

"That means it's time to unveil something special I've been saving. My super-secret killer move!"

"What? You gotta be kidding me. Huh. "_Super secret killer move"_. Get outta here! It's a bluff!"

"Yeah, well try me and find out!"

Kiba assulted Naruto once again, throwing his shuriken at him. Very ungracefully, yet effectively, he avoided all of the blades. Kiba rammed into Naruto, who only skidded back a few feet before stopping. But Kiba was on his toes, and charged the enemy again, punching him in the face. He tumbled across the floor, stopping in a heap. But he didn't stop there. As soon as Naruto was on his feet again, Kiba raked his claws against his enemy.

"Man, he's fast!" Chouji exclaimed.

"Too fast!" Ino agreed.

"Naruto can't make his hand signs!"

_"Too fast... Too strong... Naruto's out of his league against this guy,"_ Shikamaru mused.

Kiba lunged at Naruto again, but this time, Naruto let hiself to be hit. As soon as the attack subsided, he grabbed his opponent's arm, flipping him over his shoulder and nearly across the entire floor.

"I _will _be Hokage! I won't lose to you, or anyone here!"

"Come on, kid. How can you beat me when you can't keep up with me?"

He attacked again, Naruto jumping over him, turning his back on him. Kiba charged, knocking Naruto flat on his face.

"You wanted me to get serious, so I got serious! You get it now? You've been kidding yourself. You never had a chance."

But to his shock, Naruto rose to his feet again.

"I absolutely will not lose. I guess that means you're out of luck."

"I'll give the kid one thing. He sure won't give up," Chouji murmured.

Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"Naruto's like a bad cold. Kiba just can't shake him off."

"Come on," Kankurou droned.

"I don't care who it is, I just wish someone would win this match already."

"Hey, what are you waiting for, you tired?" Naruto taunted.

"Arghhh... You're a scrappy little squirt, I'll give you that."

That's enough of this. It's time to unveil my new technique!"

"Go for it!" Kiba challenged, running for his opponent again.

Kiba skidded behind Nauto, coming up to his enemy from the rear. However, the only thing that happened was a loud, obnoxious squealing noise, that sounded a lot like a... fart. One look at her teammates' faces, and Yuri knew it was. She laughed, falling from her perch on the railing as she slumped against the metal bars. Below her, Kiba cried out in disguist. He held his nose, shaking his head wildly.

"Uuuugghh, _nasty_!!" Kiba moaned.

"Wh-whatever works, Naruto!" Sakura cheered skeptically.

"Wish I could say I planned it, but anyways... Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four other Narutos surrounded him, circling him.

"You've kicked me around pretty good so far, now it's payback time!"

Naruto jumped at him, kicking him off of his feet. A clone jumped off of Naruto's back, leaping into the air as the other three slid underneath of Kiba. They kicked him upwards, and the Naruto in the air cried out as he slammed his heel into the back of Kiba's head. His head bounced off of the tile one final time, and he was still. Yuri jumped back up, pumping the air with her fist.

"Yeah! That's how it's done, Naruto!"

The four clones Naruto had made disappeared, and Hayate stepped forward to inspect Kiba's condition. The proctor lifted up his head, then gazed up at Naruto. He stood back up, and backed away from the two boys, coughing.

"The winner it Naruto Uzumaki."

"Unbelievable!!" Shikamaru exclaimed, with the most emotion Yuri had ever seen him filled with.

"Who would have thought that Naruto could beat Kiba!"

"A major offset!" Chouji agreed.

"Ha ha! It was nothing! Peice of cake!!" Naruto cheered, skipping up the steps.

Yuri slipped back down onto the floor, her body running cold. There were only a few people left. There was that taijutsu user Lee, the sound ninja Dosu, two Hyuuga, and of course, Gaara. None of the contestants sat very well with her. She clasped her hands together in a silent prayer.

_"Please, _please_... whomever my opponent may be... please don't let it be Gaara..."_

"Nervous?" Shikamaru questioned, his voice booming in her ear.

Yuri jumped, and turned her head slightly to see her teammate kneeling down beside of her, his face nearly pressed into her hair. She began to chew on her bottom lip.

"Can't say I blame you, though," He muttered.

"None of these guys look very friendly."

"I really, _really _don't want to get paired with that sand user... he's bad news, Shikamaru..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

He gazed over at the said shinobi, and cringed.

"What will you do if you are paired with him?"

"Forfeit," Yuri replied bluntly, barely giving herself time to register the question in her own head.

"He's already tried to kill me once. I can't just give him another chance to finish the job..."

"The two Hyuuga against one another," Asuma commented, pulling his cigarette from his mouth.

"This should be interesting."

"The two Hyuuga..." Yuri repeated.

"That leaves Lee, Dosu, and Gaara...."

The fight between Hinta and Neji Hyuuga was over quickly, as Neji held no remorse for his main branch cousin and finished her off swiftly.

Hayate coughed.

"Match nine, Gaara vs. Rock Lee."

Sand swirled around Gaara, and he vanished, reappearing on the stadium floor. Rock Lee jumped over the rail, landing in stance.

"I'm happy that I can fight you so soon," Rock Lee admitted to Gaara.

Gaara remained silent, glaring him intensely.

Suddenly, Lee's hand lashed out, catching the cork to Gaara's gourd in his grasp.

"Do not get so hasty," Lee accused.

Gaara only glared, his hate-glazed eyes fixed on his prey.

"Now, let the ninth match... begin," Hayate announced.

Lee immeadiately ran forward, quite recklessly, Yuri acknowledged.

"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee cried.

He twirled arround, his leg lashing out. Gaara failed to be even slightly phased with his arms still folded, and a wall of sand flew up in his defense.

Gaara's sand shot out like a tidal wave, attempting to crush Lee. The bobbed-haired boy quickly flipped backwards, bringing his legs to his chest. He skidded when he reached back to the earth. Gaara's sand retreated back to his gourd slowly. Lee ran at Gaara, his right hand behind his back, readying to unsheath a kunai. Gaara never missed a beat, and his sand emerged quickly from his gourd once more. Lee kicked towards Gaara's head, only to be blocked by Gaara's sand. He punched at his abdomen, and spun, thrust a kunai at Gaara's head, and punched three more times with the same results. Gaara quickly went on the offensive, his sand assulting Lee from behind. He turned and saw the sand just in time and pulled out a kunai. He sliced through the sand, his arms criss-crossed. He spun and flipped, slicing and avoiding the desert demon's lethal sand. Lee once again took the offensive, his leg thrashing against his opponent's sand. But it didn't last long, as Gaara didn't seem to want to defend and his sand made an attempt to Lee's head. Lee flipped twice sideways to avoid the attack, then rolled forwards several times. Lee jumped up and threw shuriken towards Gaara. Unsuprisingly, Gaara's sand prevented the attack. Lee landed, an annoyed expression dominating his face.

"...Is that it?" Gaara asked.

Lee appeared taken aback by Gaara's sudden question.

"Let me enjoy this a little more... because there isn't enough... **blood**!"

Gaara's sand lunged after Lee, who jumped above it with ease. To his shock, the sand followed him up, grabbing his ankle and swinging him in circles like a ragdoll before flinging him helplessly against the wall. Lee sank to the floor, looking up and greeted by sand, which he quickly rolled to avoid. He then ran at Gaara and attempted hand-to-hand combat for a while. Again. The sand attacked Lee, but he preformed several backflips. However, the sand was too fast and it caused him to trip and fall. The wave of sand towered above him, and crashed down. Yuri looked up and saw the shinobi spinning up in the air. He landed on the statue of the stone sign of the ram. He knelt down, staring Gaara down and vice versus.

"Lee!" A male voice called. "Take them off!"

Lee saluted him, a frown crossing his lips.

"But, Guy-sensei, I thought that was only permitted when protecting many important people!"

"I don't care!" This Guy gave Lee a thumbs up and a wink. "I will allow it!"

Lee's face lit up, and he sat down on the statue and removed the orange sleeves from his legs. Beneath them were weights. Lee repleaced his sleeves and stood up, weights in each of his hands. He hung them over the edge of the statue.

"Alright! I can move easier now!" He exclaimed, dropping the weights.

When the weights hit the floor, the ground shook with its impact. Yuri's eyes widened in shock and she stumbled backwards into Shikamaru, who caught her quickly, as if he'd been expecting her to fall.

"Go, Lee!" Guy called.

"Yes!" Lee replied, flames in his eyes.

Lee jumped up in a lightning speed. Gaara's once bored eyes widened in shock. Lee attempted to kick Gaara, the sand coudn't stop the speed he was going, and Lee almost hit him. Gaara whipped around, only for Lee to run behind him before Gaara knew what happened. He kicked at the back of Gaara's head, brushing past his hair. The sand lagged behind. Gaara spun around, his eyes still wide. This continued, with the same results. Lee's fist shot forward, and grazed the side of Gaara's head. This continued for a while, Lee attempting to hit Gaara, Gaara turning around wildly trying to locate Lee, and Gaara's sand barely able to keep up. Finally, Lee jumped up, lashing out his foot. He brought it down hard, making clean contact with Gaara's head, which hung. Lee skidded back, then looked happily up at his work. There was now a large gash on Gaara's cheek. Lee sped forward, and Gaara angrily waved his hand, creating a wall of sand. Lee sped around it, and toyed with the desert shinobi's sand once more.

"Over here!" Lee called.

Gaara looked only to be met by Lee's fist in his face. He flew backwards, tumbling harshly on the floor. Gaara slowly straightened upright, sand pouring from his gourd. It began to twist and churn around him, like waves.

"This isn't good..." Kankurou murmured.

"Yeah, maybe for that dark-eyed guy!" Naruto chided.

"He took a heavy hit!"

"That's not what I meant," Kankurou retorted.

Gaara's head rose, and sand crumbled off of his face. An insane smile was plastered on his face, and Yuri's body ran cold.

"What the-?" Naruto began, never finishing his sentence.

The sand had retired to Gaara's gourd. She then noticed Lee move, and her gaze shot to him. He had partially untied the bandages on his hands, and brought them up in front of his face. He then ran in circles around Gaara, creating a whirlwind. Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"Hurry up and attack," Gaara demanded.

"As you wish," Lee replied.

Lee suddenly uppercutted Gaara from below with his leg.

"I am not done yet!"

Lee flipped onto his hands and kicked Gaara's abdomen up and into the air, his sand left behind, unable to keep up. Lee continued his kicking assult on Gaara, then momentarily let up on the pain. Gaara's eyes widened. Lee then bound the bandages tightly around Gaara's body. He flipped upsidedown, and rocketed down at incredible speed. The arena floorshattered with the impact of the leaf genin's assult. Lee landed in a croutching position, breathing heavily. In the middle of the crater lay Gaara, his body motionless. Cracks covered his body. Soon, Gaara's body began to cave in, and the remainder of his body turned to sand.

"A replacement..." Shikamaru accurately identified.

Kankurou sighed.

"He's always got a trump card."

Lee stared at the sand clone that was Gaara and gaped. He whipped around to find himself face to face with the real Gaara. Sand poured from his gourd and over his body. Gaara looked up at Lee and his expression was that of a twisted smile. He lifted his hands, forming them in the sign of the tiger. His sand lashed at Lee, and he began to toy with him, wearing him down.

"Lee is finished. This fight will soon be over."

Kankurou nodded in agreement. A wave of sand crashed down on a horrfied Lee, who put his arms up in vain defense. The sand threw him backwards. He sat up and turned around to face Gaara, unable to stand. Gaara's insane smile remained plastered on his face, and he lifted his hands again, creating a huge sand waterfall, ready to crush the taijutsu user the moment Gaara told it so.

"Run!" Naruto yelled, leaning over the railing.

The waterfall came down on Lee, who was unable to gather the strength to run. It tossed the ninja around as if he were a ragdoll in a sea of sand, Gaara smirking all the while. The sand tossed Lee into a wall, stone flaking off of it. Lee looked up, raising his arms in a third useless defense as the sand pinned him to the wall. Debris from the impact flew around the stadium, Gaara grinning into the chaos he had created.

"The kid will barely be able to move now," Kankurou commented, his tone sullen.

"Gaara has begun to play with him."

On the stadium floor, Gaara licked his lips, his lust for blood evident. The debris cleared, and a large crater was formed in the stadium wall. Lee knelt there, with palms outstretched, and his brething ragged and heavy. He noticed the sand attempt to assult him once more, and lunged out of the way in a roll, his back to Gaara. He jumped backwards as the assult continued, then knelt down, out of breath. He stood up, placing his arms criss-crossed in front him as his sole defense. Sand swished around Gaara's body, then twisted its way to Lee. The impact made Lee cry out in pain as the sand crushed his arm. The sand let up on the pain, and Lee took his chance, and ran. The sand chased him, lashing out about him. Kankurou's grasp on the railing tightened.

"At this rate, Gaara will toy with him until he kills him."

Naruto stared at Kankurou, then down at his fellow Konohagakure shinobi.

"Fuzzy eyebrows..."

Before Lee could brace himself, he was ambushed by sand, which blew him completely off balance and onto his face. Lee slowly got to his feet, only for the sand to form into a giant hand-like shape, which slammed into Lee, knocking him to the ground once more. Gaara wasted no time in sending his weapon onto his opponent's back. Lee arched his back in pain. The attack subsided, and Lee stood again, his fists up. His eyes drooped, and his breathing was ragged. If he went on any longer, he would loose his life. Suddenly, he looked up at his sensei, who smiled proudly at him. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Lee evaded the oncoming sand in the same manner as before he had performed the Lotus technique.

"I don't know what you're trying to do," Gaara stated icily, "but you're going to be finished here."

"Yes," Lee agreed from inside the column of chakra the surounded his. "Either way, the next move will end everything."

Gaara flinched, as even he began to feel the backlash of the attack.

"I cannot be the only one who loses here!" Lee yelled.

What appeared to be wind was in fact chakra, as his body began to emit visible blue-tinted chakra. Particles from the floor slowly flew up and around Lee. He thrust his arms down to his sides, and his skin became red. The veins of his temple became more emphasized.

"I must abide be and protect my way of the ninja!" Lee declared, the chakra forming a dome around his body.

"Third... Life Gate, open!"

The chakra dome formed a crater around Lee, and the wind emitting from it struck Gaara. He stared, his eyes wide in shock. Soon, particles were no longer being lifted. There were boulder-sized peices of concrete being lifted.

"Now... fourth gate, Wound Gate... open!"

Lee jumped upwards at lightning speed, turning the ground in which he stood into little more than rubble. Gaara blinked and tensed, looking for him. Lee kicked Gaara from underneath his chin. Upon impact, the onlookers were forced to cover thier eyes, as dust and debris flew at them. All too late, the sand trailed after Gaara's figure, insistant to shield him, but unable to keep up. Lee ran up in front of Gaara, and punched him rapidly earthbound. Gaara fell down and Lee ran behind him, kicking him. This went on for some time, Lee punching and kicking the sand shinobi back and forth, like a game of ping pong. As Gaara fell to the earth for a final time, Lee chased after him, ready to finish him off.

"Fourth Gate, Forest Gate... open!"

He braced himself to be hit in the face, but Lee struck his abdomen. Lee grasped his bandages that he had warpped around Gaara, pulling him back up. Lee thrust his palm into Gaara's stomache.

"Primary Lotus!"

Once, again, debris scattered, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. The two hit the earth. Lee rolled from the dust cloud, his eyes closed and his body motionless. The dust cloud subsided, and Gaara laid there, sand breaking his fall. His hand slowly lifted towards Lee as he sat up, clearly in pain. His sand snaked its way to Lee's figure. Lee noticed, and crawled in the opposite direction as quickly as his manged body would allow him. Lee couldn't escape quickly enough, and Gaara's sand grasped ahold of Lee's left leg, and then his left arm. He struggled against the sand, but to no avail.

"Subaku Soso!" Gaara hissed, sqeezing his fist shut.

Lee shrieked in pain as the sand clutched at his arm and leg. He dropped to the ground, apparently out cold. A wave of sand towered over Lee.

"Die!" Gaara hissed, a murderous intent consuming his complexion.

The sand nearly crashed down on Lee, only to be brushed aside by Lee's mentor Guy.

Guy stood there protectively in front of his student, while Gaara looked completely taken aback. He appeared shocked, confused, and angered by the interference. He grasped his head.

"Why...?" Gaara questioned, pain in his voice. "Why did you help him?"

"Because," Guy replied.

"He's an important subordinate I love."

Gaara's jaw clentched and unclentched. He stood up, turning his back on the Jounin and his student, and the sand reforming into a gourd perched on his back.

"Winner, Gaa-" Hayate froze.

Lee had stood up. Guy turned and stared at his student in awe. Blood seeped from Lee's left arm and leg. He trembled, barely able to stand. Guy grasped Lee's shoulders. He began mumbling to his students, until he lifted his head up. Guy was on the verge of tears.

"He was trying to fight... even though he was unconsious," Yuri affirmed.

"Lee..." Guy brought the unconsious form of the boy to him in an embrace.

"You are an excellent ninja already."

"Winner, Gaara," Hayate announced.

Gaara didn't even acknowledge his name being called. He stared at Lee in the arms of his mentor. His eyes narrowed, then he walked up towards towards Temari and Baki. Naruto jumped over the railing and ran towards Lee. Even after Naruto had passed him, Gaara looked after the blonde.

Ater a while, Naruto shouted angrily after the medic-nin as they carried Lee away on a stretcher.

"What's fuzzy eyebrows supposed to do if he's told that! He said that a drop-out could defeat agenius through hard work! Can't something be done-?"

Before Naruto could say anything else, Kakashi covered his mouth and held him back by his shoulder.

"Calm down, Naruto."

Naruto broke free of his grasp.

"But... Kakashi-sensei... He wanted to fight Neji and Sasuke so badly..."

"This may be what caused this unfortunate event... in order to make his wishes come true, he used a self-damaging forbidden jutsu to try and win. This is the end result. He tried to abide by the unspoken promise he made with Neji, Sasuke, and you, Naruto. Therefore he tried to head to the stage so that he could fight. Remember that, Naruto."

Gaara watched Lee be taken away, the murderous intent still in his eyes. Sand swirled about him, then he reappeared in between Temari and Baki in a crouched position, his hands off to the side. Kakashi walked up behind Guy. He spoke to Guy in hused tones before the three returned to thier spots on the second level, and Hayate stepped forward.

"The tenth and final match," he coughed.

"The two remaining fighters who have not yet had their battle, step up."

"Go, Yuri! Kick his butt!"

"Mummy man..." Shikamaru murmured.

"You didn't get to see his technique in the forest. Be careful, Yuri."

"Right... Thanks..."

She cleared the railing in one swift leap, staring intently at Dosu as he made his way onto the floor. Her heart was still pounding in her throat from the intense battle she'd just witnessed. Yuri knew she coldn't compete with a battle of that magnitude, but...

"I'll finish this match without fooling around," Dosu told her, shuffling his way towards her.

"I was just going to tell you the same thing," Yuri admitted.

She noticed the Sound shinobi smiled beneath his bandages.

"Fighters of the tenth match, you may begin."

Dosu whipped his arm out, flicked something on the device on his arm, and studied Yuri's movements carefully. She threw a shuriken at him, which he deflected with his sound device. It clanged off on of the joints of the machine. Yuri's eyes narrowed.

_"That's it!!"_

She fished into her shinobi pouch, grabbing a handful of shuriken. However, she was quickly feeling overwhelmed with disorientation.

_"That device... it works quickly... I feel really dizzy..."_

Yuri threw another shuriken, frowning when it was deflected just below where a joint of the device was screwed. Her brow furrowed.

_"Alright, Yuri. You're one of the best kunoichi I've seen in a while in terms of having control of your chakra."_

_"Thank you, Ajiamoe-sensei," Yuri murmured, her face flushing in embarrassment._

_"So, I'm going to teach you to bring out that great trait in you. Soshuha!"_

_Ajiamoe rose her hands, and kunai hovered in front of her fingers in midair. She drew her hands across her chest, the knives staying where they were. Abruptly, she thrust her hands forward, and the kunai sliced through the air faster than if she'd simply thrown them. They imbedded themselves into the tree trunk several kilometers away, peircing the trunk so that the only thing left of the kunai were their hilts, the blades hidden in the wood._

_"Amazing, sensei..." _

_"That's not all. Hone your chakra, and you can do much more. You'd make a good puppeteer."_

_"A... puppeteer?"_

_Ajiamoe nodded, smirking._

_"I am a puppeteer, girl. Of course, it's neither my forte nor my preference, as I like to lean more towards powerful ninjutsu, but it can be a useful tactic nonetheless. Anyway... controlling your chakra is what I want you to concentrate on, alright?"_

Yuri lifted her hands, and the shuriken levitated before her fingers. She brought her arms across her chest. Often, she failed at this technique. She lost her concentration when she tried to propell the blades and they clattered to the ground. Sometimes, even, she did not fall, but moved forward at about a walking pace. But as she thrust her hands forward, all doubts of her potential failure melted away, and she had a sudden desire for Ajiamoe to be here, watching her fight, because the shuriken sliced through the air at the speed of sound, striking Dosu's arm piece with the sound a small explosion. Tiny blue bursts of her chakra popped against the device as they struck, and Dosu's sound device shattered into tiny peices, clattering to the floor. Her eyes widened, more shocked than the Sound ninja appeared. He gawked, staring at the pieces on the ground. But she recovered from her shock quickly, making several hand signs, feeling lucky, as she tried out yet another jutsu Ajiamoe had taught her.

_"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"_

She reached into her shinobi pouch again, throwing the kunai blades at Dosu. He reached for his own shinobi tools the second the tools left his opponent's hand, but the kunai changed in midair. They had become small, senbon-shaped visible bursts of wind. Unable to block the attack, he raised his arms in his defense in vain. The wind blades shredded his arms, and he was knocked off of his feet and skidded on his back about a kilometer. He lay on his back, and closed his eyes. Hayate walked over to him, supressing a cough as he lifted Dosu'd eyelids. With a quick glance to Yuri, he extended his arm towards her.

"The winner of the final match, Yuri Noemi."

From up in the balcony, select members of team ten erupted into cheers.

"Woohoo!!" Yuri heard Ino scream, and she suppressed an excited grin.

"That's our girl!"

"Yuri! Good going!" Chouji called, his hands cupped around his mouth.

She returned to her team on the second story, her chest swelling with pride as even Shikamaru and Asuma stepped forward to pat her on her back. Below, Hayate rose his hand above his head.

"And with that match, the preliminaries for the third exam are now finished.

The Hokage stepped forward, and asked the Genin to come down to the bottom floor. Once the shinobi were all assembled, he spoke.

"In the final rounds, each of you will put you battle skills on display. You'll demonstrate the power and control that you've achieved in your respective disciplines. Accordingly, the final battles will commence one month from now."

"Wait, we're not going to do it right here and now?" Naruto questioned, obviously confused.

"This is to provide a suitable period of preperation."

"What do you mean by that?" Neji Hyuuga asked.

"Simply this; in addition to announcing the conclusion of the preliminary matches to each country's leaders, we must also have some time to prepare and distribute the summons for the final selection."

With a small grin, he added,

"Not to mention, you will need time to prepare for something that is this important."

"Look, I don't really get what you're trying to say. What's the point of this?" Kankurou demanded impatiently.

"I mean that to know your adversaries and to prepare yourselves, you need time. Even though up to this point all the battles have been real battles, as I'm sure you can all attest, they were conducted on the premise that you were facing an unknown enemy. That's no longer the case, as you've battled each other."

_"Yeah, no kidding,"_ Shikamaru mused, gazing haphazardly at the Sand shinobi beside of him.

_"I never would've thought this guy could turn _sand _into a weapon."_

"So in order to make the finals fair and just, we're giving you this month, each of you must embrace the opportunity to practice hard and learn some new tricks. Because, by now... everyone here knows your techniques, so using your old, tired tricks is a sure way to lose in the finals. Oh, and remember to get some rest as well. And now, with all of that behind us, I'd like to begin winding things up. But before we can bring this to a close, first there is one more important matter to take care of before the final rounds."

"Oh, come on!" Naruto groaned.

"I want to get training!"

"In a calm, orderly fashion, you all need to take one slip of paper from the box that Anko is holding," The Hokage continued, ignoring Naruto's brash comment.

"Everyone just stay where you are," Anko ordered.

"I'll come to you. Just take one."

Naruto was on the end, so he was the first to fish into the orange-colored box. One by one, all of the ninja reached into the box for a slip of paper.

"Good, now everyone has one," Ibiki announced, unfolding his arms from his chest.

"Now from left to right, tell me the number that is written on your slip of paper."

The Genin obediently recited their numbers. Ibiki turned around the paper he'd been writing on, and the shinobi saw a tournament style chart.

"May I ask you a question?" Shikamaru inquired.

"You may," The Hokage answered.

"Alright, if this is a tournament, does that mean that there can only be one winner? I mean, only one of us will be able to become a Chuunin, then?"

"Actually, it's quite the contrary. There are going to be several judges for the final rounds, including myself, the shinobi leaders and the Kazekage that will ultimately be assigning your missions to you. Through this tournament, these judges will be able to make a thourough evaluation of your abilities. They will then decide whether any or all of you possess the qualities required of a Chuunin. Even if someone loses the first round, they could still become a Chuunin."

"So, there's actually a chance that every one of us that compete in the final selection could be Chuunin?" Temari asked.

"Correct, but conversely, there's also a chance that none of you will become Chuunin. The advantage to fighting more rounds in the tournament is in getting more chances to display your talents to the judges that will decide your fate. Does that answer your question, Shikamaru?"

_"This is just about the biggest pain ever,"_ He moaned to himself.

"I thank you all for your patience. And now, let us adjourn until next month."


	13. Blood Ties

Alright... I'm planning on discontinuing my Wolf's Rain and Yu Yu Hakusho series. Possibly, even, my beloved Gaara or Shikamaru series. High school really, really sucks. I've gotten a lot of homework, and I suck at Algebra. :'( (sobs) If I want to get into DeVry, which I do, then that math grade's gotta go up. I've also had a recent death in the family that's been weighing me down. I may not have showed it very often, but he **was** an important person to me. Not to burden you guys with my problems, but I just want to give you a general idea. On top of all this (And I'm not trying to imply that other people, you guys, don't have your problems), but I can't juggle four different fanfiction. Something's gotta give here. Please, send me a message saying if you want Shikamaru to stay online. Otherwise, I'll just delete what I feel like. Sorry; some people may be able to do this, but I cannot.

_"I think that people that have a brother or sister don't realize how lucky they are. Sure they fight a lot, but to know that somebody's always there, somebody that's family.__"_

- Trey Parker and Matt Stone

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"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

Shikamaru rubbed his right ear thoroughly.

"Jeez, woman, wouldja mind toning it down a bit?!" He snapped.

The pink haired Chuunin's fists twitched with irritation. She was seconds away from plowing into a certain lazy Chuunin with everything Tsunade had taught her the few past years.

"What do you mean, it's _my_ fault you two can't be together?" She demanded.

Sakura restrained her balling fist, her other hand clentching her wrist. Shikamaru took notice of her lethal guestures, and swallowed, mentally deciding to choose his next words carefully. Maybe it had been a mistake to come see Sakura. Sai had warned him that she was a living, ticking time-bomb, but this was rediculous.

"Well, if you hadn't have opened your mouth and told Yuri that Temari and I were dating, she wouldn't be with Naruto right now."

Apparently, he didn't choose his words carefully enough. Sakura swung, and Shikamaru ducked just in the nick of time to avoid a fatal beheading. Regaining his composure, he held his hands up in defense.

"Look, I just want your help. It is partially _your_ fault Yuri ran away from me- "

"Oi! There you are, Shikamaru! I've been looking all over for ya!"

Shikamaru backed away from the girl, his head snapping to the voice. It was Inuzuka Kiba, riding up on his dog Akamaru. He grinned in his wolfish manner at Shikamaru. The indolent Chuunin gave the dog-tamer a look that simply screamed, "Save me". He nodded, adressing Sakura.

"Oi, Sakura! You don't mind if I borrow your punchin' bag here for a little while, do ya?"

Sakura huffed, turning her back on the two Chuunin without a further answer.

"Jump on. He won't bite... much," Kiba instructed.

Shikamaru obeyed, figuring that he'd rather take his chances with Kiba and the giant canine than stay with the rampant medic nin. Immeadiately, Akamaru sprint off through the streets of Konoha.

"Don't mind Sakura. From what I've seen, she's just like that Ino girl... on twenty-four hour PMS alert."

"Right... So, why is it you were looking for me?" Shikamaru inquired, officially frightened by the subject of, "Sakura".

"Ah, right," Kiba replied as Akamaru skid around a corner, bolting down in the new direction.

"I've got some good news... and some bad news. Dealing with Naruto and Yuri."

The Chuunin's eyes widened.

"Start with the bad news," Shikamaru instructed, knowing what the next question would be.

"Well, the bad news is that Yuri has no intention of leaving Naruto herself. She says that she doesn't want to hurt him."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"And the good news?"

"Good news is that I know how to make _Naruto_ leave _Yuri_."

"Go on..." Shikamaru pressed.

Kiba smirked, Akamaru coming to a dead halt. He dismounted his ninken, followed by the second Chuunin.

"A certain teammate of mine has a little crush on Naruto. Quite cute, I thought at first, but she's a nice girl. Naruto doesn't deserve her."

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Hinata like Naruto? You're just now realizing that?"

Kiba opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it.

"You mean you've known this?"

"Yeah," the slothful Chuunin replied in a bored tone.

"Hard not to notice. After two years, even after Naruto left, it was obvious. You'd have to be as dumb as Naruto not to know."

He paused, before adding,

"You mean to tell me that you _didn't_ know?"

Kiba's face redened.

"_No!_" He lied.

"I knew that! I was just checking to see if you knew it!"

Shikamaru chuckled lightly.

"Sure. Okay."

"I was!!"

"Alright. I believe you."

"Hey, do you want help getting your girl or what?"

Shikamaru bit his tounge, attentive. Kiba smirked. He was back in control.

"Alright, so I figured this is what we do..."

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Meanwhile...

A certain ebony-haired genin clutched at her chest nervously.

"Umm, uhh... N- Naruto-kun?" She stammered.

"Are you s-sure you asked about t-this?"

"Of course I did!" The blonde replied cheerily, fastening the rope around the roof some unfortunate shinobi.

"And they agreed that you could tie a b-balloon to the top of thier house?"

"Sure! Why not?"

"Hey!" A deep, monotone voice called out.

"You aren't authorized to be near here... punk."

The two genins' bodies froze over. Naruto cautiously craned his head, gazing over the edge of the roof. A Jounin with ebony hair traveling down the mid-length of his back glared up at Naruto, his steely indigo eyes hard. His right eye was closed shut. Yuri couldn't help but feel that she'd seen this man once before. He looked faintly familiar. Raising a tanned arm, he pointed at the blonde.

"You get offa my house, you prankster punk, before I hand your butt to you on a silver platt'a. You hear me?"

Naruto seemed to snap out of his trance, because he raised his fist and challenged the shinobi.

"Oh yeah? Is that a threat? "

"No," The Jounin snapped, irritated.

"It's a promise. Now scat, Uzumaki Napuko."

Naruto temple bulged.

"It's Naruto! N-A-R-U-T-O!!! Naruto!!"

"Whatever, Haruto, go on."

The Jounin guestured down the street, waving Naruto off. Naruto looked as if his head were about to explode. The Jounin smirked. He knew the boy's name very well. Tsunade had told him. As had Jiraiya. He had also been told that the key to seperating Yuri and her possessive boyfried lied in Naruto's temper.

Naruto began to storm off towards his own home, letting Yuri slip his mind. The girl made a move to follow the straying boy, when a firm hand planted itself onto her arm. Upon gazing up, she saw the lazy-eyed Jounin. She watched Naruto disapear into the distance, sighing.

"Umm... who are you?"

The Jounin gazed down at Yuri. She caught a glint of something in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen before.

She saw a look of love.

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"I can't believe how much you've grown, Yuri."

Yuri sipped the tea that the Jounin had offered her, never taking her eyes off of him. The man had been saying strange things like that ever since she'd met him in the street, murmuring things underneath his breath, more to himself than to her. He smiled softly at her, his elbows propped on the table, hands folded in front of him. The girl knew all too well that she wasn't supposed to accept things from strangers, but there was something about this guy that she couldn't help but feel comfortable and relaxed beside him. Although his in incessant staring help to sway her mind. Finally, she put the cup down on the table. She wanted answers. The man watched her intently.

"Please tell me who you are,"

The Jounin chuckled.

"I think you already know. I was one of the last people you ever saw before you were knocked out cold by Mr. Sandman."

Yuri concentrated, staring intently. The Jounin could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Then it came to her. His face was more defined now, but there was still no mistake. The tendancy that the man had to keep his right eye closed verified that.

"You are the Chuunin from the Second Exam!!"

The man nodded.

"Well, that's a start. Can you remember my name, kiddo?"

Yuri closed her mouth. She had no clue. The man sighed, hanging his head.

"Oh!" Yuri cried.

"Tasaku!"

The man flinched.

"Err... close, but no cigar," He replied.

"It's Oboro."

"Oh... I am sorry..."

He shook his head.

"It's no biggie, kiddo."

"But you remembered my name," Yuri pointed out softly, ashamed.

"Well, I would. It's not your fault."

Yuri tilted her head, like a confused puppy dog.

"What do you mean?"

Oboro smiled sadly.

"My full name is Oboro Conall Noemi."

Yuri grinned.

"I did not know that Noemi was a common surname. Noemi is my name, too."

"I know," Oboro replied solemnly.

"And Noemi _isn't_ a common name. In fact, there is only one Noemi clan in Fire Country."

Yuri grin lingered on her face a moment longer. Letting his words sink in. Her breath was taken from her lungs.

"So, that would make you a blood relative of mine?" She breathed.

Oboro nodded.

"Your older brother, to be exact. I've been only permitted to watch you grow from a distance, Yuri-imooto. Looks like you had an o-niisan all along, and you never knew it."

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"The hell?!"

"Nara Shikamaru! Watch your tounge!"

Yuri gazed at the lazy Chuunin from behind her newly found older brother. Oboro peeked over his should at her.

"This the last of the stuff?" He asked, although it sounded that, whether or not it was, he was leaving.

Yuri nodded. Shikamaru tried to stop them from leaving.

"Hey, you can't just waltz in here and wisk her off like that without any forewarning."

"Alright, fine," Oboro replied.

He paused a moment.

"I'm taking Yuri now. Okay?"

"No, it is-"

"Okay! Good! Glad we all agree."

He turned towards the door, heading around his little sister. Yuri gazed at Shikamaru. His mind raced. He didn't want her to leave. Not only would it put a glitch in his and Kiba's plan, it would also mean that he wouldn't have a good oppotunity to talk with Yuri if she lived all the way across Konoha. From what he'd seen, Oboro wasn't the kind of, "hey how ya doing? Come in and have some tea, pal!" type of brother. He was the "Get the hell away from my sister before I kick your ass" type of brother. Shikamaru sighed as he watched his lily walked out of his house, and out of his life.


	14. Hi Ho, To Suna We Go

Welp, I've made my desicion. I'm not going to discontinue anything. Things may start looking up for me soon; I know I can't be emo forever. . But I know that until then, I'm cutting back on my series updates. **Under A Full Moon** and **A Fire Long Dead** are the series I'm going to postpone. They're the series with the least success. So, thanks to a reviewer you I'll keep annonymous for the time being, I won't delete anything.

_"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you might as well make it dance."_

- George Bernard Shaw

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Four months later...

"Team Ten! Head out! Let's Gooooooo!!"

Asuma, hand propped proudly on his hip, thrust his fist into the air. He had expected his team to bound forward ecstaticly (especially Ino), and prepare to lunge into thier mission.

He should've known better.

Ino sat on the ground, fiddling with the holes in her fishnet on her legs. Shikamaru laid in the grass, eagle-sprawled, lazily (does he have eny other way to?) watching the clouds go prolongingly by. Chouji hadn't even heard Asuma say anything anyways. Nor did it appear to Asuma that he even cared in the slightest, either. Yuri, her legs folded against her chest, peered up at her highly disappointed sensei.

"Asuma-sensei?" She murmured.

"I don't think today's a good day for a mission."

Asuma glanced down at the frail girl, heeding her words. She blinked up at him.

"No one is all that motivated..."

She gazed sadly down at her toes, suddenly finding them interesting. Sha added under her breath,

"...and I'm not qualified to do a B-rank mission like this, anyways..."

Asuma sighed.

"Well, the Chuunin Exams start in a week over in Sunagakure... Maybe you should talk to Oboro about leaving for the Village Hidden in the Sand?"

Asuma expected his lighthearted student to litterally glomp him in happiness at the chance to become one of Konoha's revered Chuunin.

Again, Asuma should have known better.

Yuri stood up, brushing the grass and dirt off of her legs.

"Yes," She replied.

"I am sure that Oboro will take me to Sunagakure. Now, if you will excuse me, Asuma-sensei, I must go back home to Oboro-o-niisan. Training purposes..."

The young konoichi's voice trailed off. Asuma scratched the back of his head, confused.

_"Yuri's spirit sure has died down since she regained consiousness,"_ He pondered.

_"She isn't as enthusiastic as she was since she started hanging around with him, and she's so dead serious all the time. That Oboro punk is sabotaging that Yuri's personality!! I don't think I like that kid..."_

Shikamaru watched Yuri as she passed by him. She didn't even give him a fleeting glance as she headed home. Shikamaru rolled onto his stomache, gazing after her retreating back. He sighed, feeling his heart sink that much lower. In a way, his and Kiba's plan had succeeded... but only to a degree. When looked at another way, it also could have been considered a total failure, considering that he didn't get what he had set out to in the first place.

Yuri.

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**Naruto had begun to spend more and more time with Hinata, courtesy of Kiba. It took a while, but Naruto began to fall in love with the white-eyed Hyuuga. Everything was going as Kiba hand Shikamaru had originally planned. Naruto was drawing away from Yuri and towards Hinata. It was quite the obvious thing. Even the thick-headed Rock Lee saw Naruto and Yuri's relationship coming to an inevitable end. However, the naive Yuri did not. There was just one tinsy, weensy minor problem with thier oh-so perfect plan.**

**Yuri had taught herelf to love Naruto.**

**It was exactly as she had told Shikamaru way back when. She had promised Shikamaru, promised herself, to love Naruto and not Shikamaru. That promise held true. But it was about to be shattered.**

**The inevitable happened.**

**Naruto severed the girlfriend-boyfriend ties with Yuri for Hinata.**

**And with thier broken relationship, came a broken heart.**

**So, Naruto and Hinata were together, and Yuri was left alone.**

**Operation RR, or, "Rekindled Romance", as Kiba preffered to call it, was to break up Yuri and Naruto, with Hinata as a distraction. It went smoothly... or so they had thought. They hadn't counted on Yuri seriously being, "hurt". But she was. **

**Phase two of the plan was for Shikamaru to catch Yuri on the "rebound". He tried to. He also failed miserably. Being so emotionally shattered, Yuri wanted comfort from only Oboro. Kiba suggested that Shikamaru "worked" for his woman. Shikamaru responded with his normal response.**

_"It's just too troublesome. It's not worth it."_

**The lackluster Chuunin would eat those words later in life. Yuri, spending more and more time with her austere and cold sober brother, began to break away from the rest of team ten. The spark in her nature dimmed away, becoming faint. She became more monotone and serious, like her elder brother, much to her team's disappointment. But on the plus side, she had become a force to be reckoned with under the training of Oboro. She kept her naive nature, but lost her sense of humor. Oboro seemed pleased with his work when confronted by Asuma. The Jounin was livid. But nothing he could do would make anything better. Yuri was losing the traits that others loved so much about her.**

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"So, how about it?"

Oboro scratched his head.

"Ahhh... I dunno... I couldn't take her all the way to Sunagakure No Sato."

Asuma flinched.

"What?!" He demanded.

"You don't want your sister to better herself as a ninja?"

"Of course I do!" The Jounin snapped irritatedly.

"But I've been given an A class mission by Tsunade-sama."

His voice lowered itself to a whisper.

"... reguarding Otogakure No Sato."

Asuma nodded in understanding. His mind reeled with possibilities. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.

"There's two Genin wanting to take the Exams. I understand that their third teammate has become a Chuunin already."

Oboro raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're suggesting that Yuri join this other team under thier sensei to take the Exams," He asked in a monotone voice.

"_Temporarily_, of course," Asuma added.

"Temporary. Of course."

He turned, whistling for his sister. Asuma kept a low growl erupting from his throat in check.

_"This brat treats Yuri like she's his circus _dog_..."_

"Yes, Oboro-o-niisan?" Yuri breathed, running up to her older brother.

"You wanna take the Chuunin Exams this year in Suna, ne?"

"Correct," Yuri answered.

"M'kay. Then it's all set."

Oboro waved his hand to Asuma.

"Asuma here'll introduce ya to your new surrogate team and thier sensei."

He smiled, adding,

"Make me look like a genius."

Yuri smiled half-heartedly.

"I will, o-niisan."

She turned to follow Asuma, when a firm hand caught her shoulder. The tan hand of Oboro.

"Tsunade-sama's mission will be time-consuming. But I promise, by the moon, I'll be there to watchyou in the final exam. Spectators are always permitted in the Third Exam."

He winked at his younger sister. Yuri frowed, however.

"Don't promise me anything by the moon," She retorted.

"The moon changes it's state constatnly."

Oboro grinned.

"Then, I'll promise you by the sun! Hell, that's one thing that's ever-present, especially in Sunagakure No Sato!"

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"Damn..."

Asuma swore into his hand.

_"Some higher power must really have a vendetta against me..."_

Turned out, Team One, the team Asuma had in mind for Yuri, had an accident recently. Their sensei, Otsego, had been severely injured in a past mission. Yuri sighed and shrugged.

"I suppose I'll go back home to Oboro," She muttered.

"We can train, no big deal..."

"Wait!" Asuma called, another light bulb going off.

"I've got the perfect Chuunin in mind to accompany you to Sunagakure!"

Yuri hesitated. She turned back around, eyeing Asuma curiously.

"Really? Who?"

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"Where's that bum of a son of mine?" Shikaku demanded, inquiring his oblivious wife.

"Umm... I don't know... why?"

" 'Cause Tsunade-sama's given the kid a mission upon Asuma's request."

"Oh really? Where to?"

"To Sunagakure No Sato."

Yoshino's eye's widened.

"All the way to Suna!?"

Shikaku nodded proudly.

"And I'll be damned if Shikamaru's passin' up this oppotunity."

As if on cue, the lackidasical Chuunin graced his parents with his presence, entering the front door. As soon as he stepped through the door, his father was all over him like white on rice.

"Tsunade-sama's assigned you to a mission, boy, and you're going to go!"

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow.

"You drunk, old man?"

Shikaku avoided answering the question.

"You! Suna! Pack you bags! Leader!"

"What?" Shikamaru bellowed, backing away from his father in diebelief.

"There's no way I'm going to Suna! And for what? For the Kazekage?!"

"Three Genin want to enter the Chuunin Exams. Their sensei's in critical condition in the hospital, so guess who Asuma _personally_ suggested be put in charge?"

Shikamaru groaned.

"So let me get this straight," He backtracked.

"Tsunade wants me to go to Suna, meanwhile I put up with three bratty Genin along the way, wait for them to all get beaten up in the Exams, and then have to turn right back around again and come back to Konoha with them?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

Shikamaru sighed.

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"Don't tell me- this old dude that's our so-called _sensei_ is Kakashi, isn't he?" Koetso droaned, hands on his hips.

"He's the only loser that would be this late," Entemi agreed, crossing his arms.

The two were growing tired of waiting, and, even Yuri had to admit, though patient, she was beginning to lose hers. Tsunade had told the three to meet at six a.m. sharp. It was now seven thirty-seven a.m. At last, a shadowy figure could be made out through the morning fog. Entemi let out a breath.

"Finally!! Can you say "late", loser?!"

"Shut up!" The male's voice called out.

"You brats are lucky I even came. You'd be goin' nowhere if I had declined."

"True," Koetso calmly replied.

"But if you decline every single mission thrown at you, you'll be a low-life Chuunin forever."

"Don't care. I don't want to be Jounin anyway. Too much work. Too troublesome."

"Woah!" The blue-eyed Entemi replied sarcastically.

"Step back! We've got a real motivated guy on our hands now!!"

"I never said I was motivated," The Chuunin replied, stepping through the cloud of fog.

"But I'm better than you, if I got promoted and you didn't."

Entemi growled. Koetso held a hand out in front of his teammate.

"Your name, sensei?" He questioned.

Yuri was taken aback by her new sensei, getting a good look at him.

"It's Nara Shikamaru."

The Chuunin stared, shocked, as he took notice of the female of the group.

_"Asuma set me up..."_ He realized.

_"Ah well... there's no backing out of the mission now. Heh... this'll prove to be interesting."_


	15. Not as Bad as it Seemed

Well, there's some good news some bad news. First, the good news: You never really get over a death. But now, I'm as much over Tim's (mys stepdad's) death as I'm going to get. School's let out, and I passed with a_**B**_!!!. Thankies, my lurve!!

**Me:** I Wuvs you!!!! (glomps Brandon)

**Brandon:** (eye twitches and tries vainly to free himself)

Heh heh heh...

Tha bad news is that now, I'm starting to get accused of Yuri being a freaking Mary Sue. I want your guys' honest opinion: Is Yuri a Mary Sue? I didn't think so, and I took time to make **sure** she wasn't before I even posted the first chapter way back when! I didn't make her perfect. I **never **make **any** of my OC's perfect. All of them have flaws. Big ones, ones that effect thier entire lives, usually. Yuri's naive. She's a ninja, but she doesn't like to hurt or kill people. She's socially inept, for Pete's Sake!! I'm not really sure anymore. I was positive Yuri wasn't a Mary Sue. She isn't emo, self-centered,she doesn't think she's all that and a bag of freaking chips, and she **certainly isn't **like Uchiha Sasuke and has this, "I-hate-the-world-just-because-I-do" attitude. But I'm not so sure anymore. I just want this fixed. I took a litmus test, and I scored an eleven. Not a Mary Sue. But I'm still on the freaking C2. (sighs)

_"Perhaps the feeling we expreience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be."_

- Anton Chekhov

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_...Groan... Grumble, grumble..._

The lackluster Chuunin heaved an exasperated sigh.

Entemi whimpered, holding his lower abdomen like a mother-to-be held her unborn child.

**Oh, for the LOVE OF GOD!!! If I hear that damned sound one more time, I'm going to go rabid on that kid's- **

_Groooooooan... _

The Chuunin couldn't have agreed more with himself... for once. Finally, Shikamaru's patience snapped. He whirled around to face the nourishment- deprived Genin, pointing a finger at him as he did.

"I've about had it!" He exclaimed.

"I knew this trip would be a drag, but this is rediculous!!"

Entemi, realizing that he was being scolded, suddenly jerked back to reality. He abruptly held up a menacing fist.

"What am I supposed to do?!" He demanded.

"I'd try telling it to shut it, only it wouldn't listen!"

His stomache growled as if in agreement. Yuri felt a bead of sweat run down her face. She raised her hands, trying to play peacemaker.

"Listen, we'll be at Suna in a few hours. We can get a room, bed, food- "

She glanced at Shikamaru, who looked about ready to tackle the poor child, who was still a long shot from the shoulder of his surrogate sensei. Even counting the hairs on end, he only reached up to Shikamaru's chest.

"- and some _space_, before you tear one another's throats out."

Her reasoning landed upon deaf ears.

"You had your chance to eat!"

"Yeah! A day and a half ago, when we left civilization, maybe!"

"Well, it _is_ the Village Hidden in _Sand_," Shikamaru pointed out bluntly in a bored tone.

Entemi froze. Mind reeling, he decided to switch his arguement.

"That doesn't put food in my stomache, jerk!"

Koetso, who had been quietly watching the arguement from afar, rolled his eyes.

"They act as if they are mere children..." He muttered.

Yuri nodded.

"Shikamaru could be a little more mature though... I mean, he _is_ supposed to be acting as our sensei..."

Shikamaru froze, hearing this. He sweatdropped.

**Is... Is she calling us immature?!**

The Chuunin gazed Yuri over. She had her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised, and gazed at him skeptically.

_"So it would seem..."_

**Oh... I was afraid of that 'un... Darn...**

"Let's get going," Shikamaru annouced, back in charge.

He turned his back on the three Genin, walking straight to the front. Entemi opened his mouth to protest.

"We'll eat only when we reach Suna," He inturrupted.

"You'll have to suffice until then."

"But," Entemi began, his tone whinny and high pitched.

"But, if I have to be deprived of food for much longer, I'm going to keel over, and I'm going to _die_!!! Is that what you what, Shikamaru? Huh?! You want me to kick the bucket?!"

"Kid, I'm your sensei now. That's Shikamaru-_sensei_ to you. Show some respect."

**Well, since you make it sound **soooo** enticing, maybe...**

Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle aloud at his inner self's bitter sarcasm.

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The breeze was humid. Not the best kind of wind, but it was decent, considering the kind of heat the team had endured the past two days.

_"This is the last night in the desert..."_ Shikamaru thought to himself.

_"This time tomorrow, I'll be in a nice,_ air- conditioned_ hotel room... And I won't have to lift a finger..."_

He smiled, closing his eyes. Upon hearing the sound of shuffling feet against the grains of sand, his brow furrowed.

"Oh... Did I wake you, Shikamaru... _sensei_?"

The lackadasical Chuunin's eye sprang open, his cheeks flushed. He saw not Entemi sneeking around, as he'd thought, but Yuri. In her arms, she cradled several corpses of smaller rodents; snakes, shrews, bugs that looked something like a scarab beetle. She blinked at him.

"N-no," He stammered under his breath, as not to wake the slumbering Entemi and Koetso.

"I- I was already awake- "

_Gruuuuumbleeeeee..._

Shikamaru gritted his teeth.

"I'm going to kill that kid..."

"He can't help it," Yuri protested, whispering.

"It's the most basic function of the human body. If it is hungry, it is hungry. There isn't a whole lot you can do... except give him food."

"Oh yeah," Shikamaru replied, his voice dripping sarcasm.

He pointed out into the desert, seeming to go on for an eternity.

"I'm going to buy him a bowl of soy rice from that restaurant, right there."

As soon as the words had left his lips, he wished he had just held his tounge. Yuri glared at him, a small flame flickering behind her eyes. She let her arms fall, and the corpses fell to the ground.

"No, but you could be a little kinder. He didn't do anything to you."

Shikamaru chewed on the inside of his cheek, averting his gaze to the beetles.

_"Kinda like someone else I know..."_

**You two have lost contact lately. Now's your chance to talk to her.**

_"But she doesn't want to talk to me..."_

**You don't know that.**

_"I don't want to talk to her anyways. It's too troublesome, especially if she winds up getting angry with me. I've seen the temper she's gotten..."_

**You know you want to talk to her again. How long has it been? Four months, almost five?**

He knew he was right.

**Think about it. Why, exactly, do you imagine Asuma set you up to go with Yuri? For a picnic? Not quite! He wants you to- !"**

_"- to bring back the old Yuri."_

**Precisely!**

He heaved a heavy sigh. Yuri started a fire with tinder, beginning to cook the rodents.

"Mind if I..." He fumbled for words.

"I..err, Mind if I... have some? When it's done, I mean?"

Yuri guestured out into the desert.

"Just go and get something from that restaurant over there."

Shikamaru winced as if she'd just smacked him.

_"Man, she sure holds a grudge... She didn't used to be that way, did she?"_

**Ouch! That was a blow under the belt if I've ever seen one!**

_"You know, you're not helping!"_

"Well, I- "

Yuri tossed him an iron poker, which she'd packed with her. The Chuunin caught it at the last second, but not before juggling it first.

"I'm willing to share. But you're cooking your own."

"Al-alright."

He shifted to his knees, crawling over to the fire. Sitting across from Yuri, he reached across the flame for a shrew.

"Don't put yourself so close to the fire," She warned.

"You'll burn yourself."

"Suprised to see you care..." Shikamaru murmured.

Yuri raised her head to make eye contact with her sensei.

"Pardon?" She asked.

"Forget it."

"Umm... okay..."

The two cooked several animals. Well, Yuri cooked, Shikamaru just burned. He raised the poker to inspect the snake, and his shoulders fell.

"Burn it again?" Yuri inquired.

"Mmhmm..."

He stabbed the poker through the beetle, shattering it skeleton furiously. Yuri noticed how angry he'd become. She inched around the fire, closer to her sensei.

"You must be holding them over the fire too long."

"I take them off when you take off yours."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"After I take off the third one, maybe."

Shikamaru observed both piles of cooked animals. Indeed, while he had four burnt vermin, she had ten finely cooked ones. She rested her hand on his wrists.

"I can do it myself," He insisted.

"You've never had survival training?" Yuri asked incredulously.

"Yes!"

"Survival training, where _you've_ done the cooking?"

"..."

"It's alright. I'll help you."

"I can get it."

"You can get it sooner if you let me help."

"I'll do it myself, I said," Shikamaru snapped.

Yuri quickly retracted her hand, as if his had been a blowtorch. She picked up her own poker, and let Shikamaru be.

"Forgive me..." She whispered.

Shikamaru fell silent. He tossed possible conversational ideas in his head.

"So... Naruto ditched you for Hinata, eh?"

**NO****!!! You MORON, don't you have any comman sense at ALL?! Dont' ask about stuff like that!!**

But Yuri didn't get anrgy, or even upset in the least.

"Yes," She replied softly.

"He said he just wanted to be friends, but- "

"But it's awkward," Shikamaru finished.

She nodded solemnly. She turned the shrew over the fire, the flames licking at the animal.

"It's just, _painful_. But, in the same instance, it's strange. I don't know why, but everytime I look at Naruto now, I get this throbbing pain in my chest, and it's so... so..."

"_Unbearable_," Shikamaru muttered.

"Yes," She agreed.

"But I don't know why I feel this way..."

"Let me guess," He began softly.

"You see Naruto often, but you wish he'd just _disappear_. Or rather, that _you_ would vanish. You feel so betrayed, and you feel so much pain whenever you look at him. And... and you think you'd do anything to know that they still love you. You'd...

His voice momentarily trailed off, and his mind went somewhere else.

"I'd wish so badly that I could go back in time to fix how I'd denied her, pretended that I didn't care. I wouldn't take her for granted, ever again. I'd never tempt you into falling into arms that weren't there, I promise, I would catch you this time around, and- "

He froze, swallowing hard.

_"Did..."_

_"Did I just say that out loud?"_

He gazed up at Yuri, his heart pounding his his throat. She prodded the shrew gently, before sliding it onto the ground. She stuck the poker back in the fire, twirling it pointlessly in the flames. It was as if she hadn't heard him. Shikamaru thought he'd gotten of easy, when,

"You... love me...?"

_"Busted."_

Shikamaru tried to speak, but found that his vocal chords disallowed any such thing. So he just nodded.

"Since when? Let me guess..."

She continued to slowly turn the poker.

"You didn't realize how you loved me until I was with Naruto..."

"No!" Shikamaru replied firmly.

"I mean, I..."

**Come **on**!!! You're finally telling her how you feel, since you fell for her after becoming a ninja! Don't tell me you're chickening out now!!**

He had a point.

"I've loved you for..."

"A week or so?" She asked softly, almost bitterly.

"I've loved you ever since you took that hit for me from Vita!"

Yuri blushed.

"That's-" She breathed.

"It's been a long time, since then..."

"That's right."

Yuri placed her poker on the ground. For a long time, neither of them knew what to say. The only sound heard was the wind scattering sand across the terrain.

"I didn't know..." She whispered.

"I had no idea you loved me..."

Suddenly her temper soared. She became angry with herself.

"And I told you I didn't want to love you! I told you I loved Naruto! You...!"

Her voice grew softer once more.

"Your heart... I must have really broken it..."

Shikamaru shrugged.

"I can't say it didn't affect me... But I guess we can say the score's even."

"Even?" Yuri responded, diebeliving.

"I hurt you so badly! How are we even?!"

"You can't possibly tell me that I never hurt you," Shikamaru muttered.

"Because I know for a fact I did."

Yuri bit her bottom lip. Shikamaru slid across the sand, gently wrapping his arm around her waist.

"So, we're even?" He asked quietly.

Yuri's face radiated, but she didn't pull away from him. She shifted uncomfortably, being touched by him. Shikamaru noticed.

"But, you still love Naruto," He murmured, disappointment obvious in his voice.

She blushed harder.

"You were - are - my first love. There's no competetion against that."

"Not even Naruto?"

Yuri shook her head.

"Not even Naruto. And, honestly..."

She looked away from Shikamaru, embarrassed.

"As much as I like Naruto, I could never care about him the way I do you..."

"If only I'd told you this earlier, we- "

"There's no use dwelling over spilled milk."

"But you could have avoided two heart aches," Shikamaru insisted.

"Does it matter now?"

Shikamaru smiled.

"No, I don't suppose it does..."

He leaned into her, and, when she didn't pull away from him, delicately pressed his lips against hers.

**Whoo, hoo! C'mon Shika! Let's give her tounge!!**

Shikamaru was appalled by the suggestion.

_"No tounge,"_ He told himself.

**Aww, come **on**! Just a little!**

_"No tounge,"_ He repeated to himself more firmly.

**Yes tounge! Tounge good for Shikamaru!**

_"No!!"_

**Yes!!**

_"No!!"_

**Yes!!**

_"NO!!!"_

**YESSSSS...!**

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Aww, yeah!! Sheesh... Chapter 18, and I'm _just_ making them have thier first kiss... I have a feeling this is going to be a looooong series... Is that good or bad?!


	16. Something Fishy

Sheesh... Somebody lied when they said death comes in threes. _Multiples_ of threes, maybe. (hangs head) Everybody I know is dying off! (clings to Brannon) **DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!!** (lunges at loyal story readers/fans/people willing to put up with me) **NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE EITHER! I PROHIBIT ANY SUCH THING!!!!!!!!!!** (handcuffs) (random people begin to die in handcuffs... they just drop dead.) (sobs)

_"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."_

- Voltaire

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"Jeez... He's such a bum..."

Shikamaru's eye twitched as he felt something jab him in his side, awakening him quite rudely.

"He- **Hey**!! It's not polite to stab people like that! Please, stop that!"

"Whatever!!"

He was poked again. And again. And again.

Luckily for him, he noticed that he was being poked rhythmically. Just as the lazy Chuunin was scheduled to be assulted again, he swiftly reached up and snatched the instrument in which he was being attacked. Sheepish, Entemi inched back, Shikamaru glaring at the culprit all the while. Growing bold once again, the egotistic Genin stepped forward, brandishing his fists.

"About time you woke up!" He screeched.

"We could've already been to Hidden Sand and back here in the time it took _you_ to come to!"

Shikamaru ignored him. Looking up, he met the glassy gaze of Yuri. Blushing, she shuffled her feet nervously and averted her eyes. Blinking, the events of the night before bestowed themselves upon him. He felt a blush creep to his cheeks, too.

**Well now. That was awesome. We handled that like a real pro last night. I just wish you would've given her some tounge... Heh heh heh...**

Shikamaru scoffed. What a closet pervert he was. He froze as he realized that if his conscious was a mega-perv, that meant that he, too...

_"Holy hell."_

**Ha ha!!**

"Let's go," Koetso insisted.

"I have no intention of dwelling in this desert wasteland the rest of my life."

"Yeah! Like he said! Me neither!" Entemi piped.

Yuri held out her hand to shikamaru as he sat up. Smiling softly, he took her hand.

"Good morning," She murmured bashfully.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah," He replied awkwardly.

"Morning."

Curious, the blue-eyed pain-in-the-butt cupped his hand around his mouth and leaned into his teammate.

"You think those two are, like, I dunno... err... _romantically involved_?!"

Koetso arched his brows, eyes widening, pondering his friend's theory. He smirked, turning his back on the two and heading towards Suna.

"Okay, no one wants to watch you two flirt. Get a room at Suna, but I want to train before the Exams."

Entemi cackled with laughter, Koetso taking off at a run as Shikamaru chased him down, shouting every colorful insult he knew after him. Entemi crept next Yuri, speechless and radiating so madly, it appeared as if her face was going to blow a curcuit.

"So... _are_ you two... you know..."

He held up his pinkie finger.

"_Dating_?"

Yuri opened her mouth to argue, then shut it just as quickly. The boy had a point.

"You know... I... I really don't know."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I thought you said yesterday that it was only a few hours?" Shikamaru addressed Yuri.

"We've been walking all day today, and it's nearly evening."

Yuri gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"A, uh... minor miscalculation?" She stammered.

The Chuunin heaved a sigh. He gave a sidelong glance to Entemi, who was happily munching on cooked scarab beetles in his arms. Surveying Koetso, a small smirk crossed his lips. He walked with his arms folded across his chest, glaring side to side, as if he half-expected to suddenly be ambushed. There was definately an imposing air about him.

_"This kid reminds me of Sasuke..."_

His attention returned to the front, scrutinizing the landscape. Squinting, he smiled, pointing ahead for the others to see.

"Looks like we're there," He announced.

Entemi shoveled the rest of the beetles in his mouth.

" 'Inally!!" He choked, running ahead of the crew.

"Hey, slow down!" Shikamaru called.

"You don't know where you're going!!"

Realizing that his sensei had a point, he halted and waited for the others to catch up.

"Wow..." Yuri breathed.

"It's so amazing. The buildings... Some look as if they are constructed of sand. To make sure they stand, the degree in which it must be packed together..."

"Genin. How easily amused!" A female's voice chuckled.

The four turned to the speaker. A blonde stood, hands on her hips, smiling. She sure looked as if she felt superiour.

"Oh! Temari!" Yuri greeted.

"Hi, kid."

She looked up at Shikamaru, and smiled smugly.

"Didn't run into any Sound ninja now, have you?" She mocked.

"Shut up," Shikamaru scoffed.

The jounin laughed.

"Good. I'd hate to have to come to your rescue again, especially when the Chuunin Selection Exams are so near."

**GAH!! Stupid woman... THAT WAS A FLUKE! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!**

Shikamaru ignored her, and his inner self. He turned to Yuri.

"We should go find Gaara, and see where he's having us stationed at during the Chuunin Exams."

Yuri cringed at the sound of Gaara's name, when Temari intervened.

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I'm here at the entrace of the village under Gaara's direct orders to tell each team the comes where they will be during the exams."

"Fine with me," Shikamaru replied, rubbing his neck.

"So where is the place?"

Temari smirked. She pointed out into the city.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe that troublesome woman made us go all the way to the back of Suna... We had to walk so far, what a drag..."

Shikamaru plopped himself onto the couch, his head and arms resting on the back.

"Don't complain, you lazy bum!" Entemi called from the kitchen.

The Chuunin glared at the kitchen dorrway.

"Didn't you just get done stuffing your face?" He asked heatedly.

"That idiot is always hungry... He has a black hole for a stomache. You get used to it when you've been around him as long as I have," Koetso droaned, sitting in a nearby chair and propping his feet on the coffee table.

Shikamaru craned his neck, scanning the room. Something was missing.

"Hey, where'd Yuri go?"

Entemi poked his head out of the kitchen, cradling a variety of food generously provided by the Sand.

"Yuri? Prolly out training. Didn't you see her leave with the one dude?"

Shikamaru sraightened up, alert.

"When was this? What one dude?"

"About ten minutes ago... Right after we got here. The guy in black. I forgot his name."

**Oh. The one guy in black. That narrows it down.**

"Guy in black?"

Shikamaru's mind reeled. Entemi popped a chip into his mouth.

"Yeah, you know... that one guy. In the black."

He set down his food, and brought his index fingers to either side of his head.

"You know him! You talked to the guy! He was the one with the hood that made him look like a giant black teddy bear!"

Somewhere in Shikamaru's mind, a lightbulb turned on.

"Was it Kankurou?!"

Entemi snapped, his eyes widening in realization.

"That's the one!"

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed.

"What would she be doing with him?"

The Genin cackled.

"Cheating on _you_!!"

**Ah!? That little bastard!! Kill the punk!**

The lethargic shinobi glowered at Entemi.

"Why you- "

"Ignore that imbecile, Nara," Koetso interrupted curtly.

"She's training with Kankurou. She wants to start learn puppeteering."

Shikamaru frowned.

"Well, she could have said something to me before she left..."

It was Koetso's turn to cast a disapproving look.

"She _did_. It's your own fault you weren't listening when she said it."

_"I never heard her say anything..."_

**Me neither.**

_"That's strange, don't you think? In order to leave, she would have had to have my approval, so I knew where she was going. She couldn't just walk off, even if I didn't hear her. Besides- "_

**Yuri wouldn't just walk off unless she was sure you knew, anyways.**

_"My thoughts exactly."_

Shikamaru gazed at the two Genin. Entemi was back to stuffing his face. Koetso sat, arms crossed and eyes closed. His brows furrowed, seeming as if he was deep in thought.

_"Something isn't right... Yuri already knows how to work puppets. She ditched training with Ino, Chouji and me all the time to work on that with Oboro..."_

Shikamaru stood to his feet. Koetso's eyes sprang open.

"Where are you going?" He demaded.

Entemi stood in the doorway, eyeing Shikamaru suspiciously. He held no food in his arms.

"To find Yuri," Shikamaru answered.

"I told you," Koetso replied hotly.

"She's training with Kankurou."

"Sure. But there's one flaw in your story," Shikamaru sneered.

"She's already mastered the art of puppeteering."

"You can never be a master," Koetso retorted.

"She knew Kankurou was a real puppet master, so she went with him to hone her skills."

"But you said she was _starting_ to learn to puppeteer. You can't start a skill you've already began."

Entemi shot a quick glance to his teammate. Koetso glared at his surrogate sensei.

"So I slipped," He replied boldly.

"I retract my statement of her _starting_. She is _honing_."

The Chuunin wasn't fooled for a moment.

_"I have a gut feeling, like something's not right..."_

"I'm still going to find her," He announced headed for the door.

Koetso moved tp stand up, when the door opened. Shikamaru nearly ran into the girl he had gone to search for.

"See? Told ya!" Entemi yelled vehemently.

"Told you what?" Yuri inquired.

"Nothing," Shikamaru quickly responded.

"We should get settled here. The Exams are in one week."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smoothing back her hair, Shikamaru sat beside Yuri on the front porch.

"Nervous about the Exams?" He questioned.

Yuri shrugged.

"A little," She admitted.

"But I want to make it to the Third Exam. Oboro promised me that he'd watch me there... I want to make him, and the rest of the Leaf Village, proud of me..."

She paused before adding,

"And I want to prove to myself that I can do this. While everyone else advanced to Chuunin, some even Jounin, I was lying around in some bed, incapacitated..."

She looked up at the sky, scanning the stars.

"People always ignored me at the academy. They looked at me, but they didn't see me. I want others to look at me, and think to themselves, that I am a wonderful shinobi. I don't want to be so invisible, my life so pointless..."

"I don't treat you like you're invisible," Shikamaru protested.

Yuri propped her hands behind her, leaning back on them.

"You didn't always see me like you do now," She reminded him.

"There was once a time when you looked at me as callously as everyone else."

Shikamaru couldn't argue with that.

"So... Koetso and Entemi told me you went training with Kankurou. How'd that go?" He asked quietly, changing the subject.

Yuri furrowed her eyebrows.

"Entemi and Koetso told you? But... Koetso brought me aside, he told me that it was _you_ who wanted me to train with him. Since you already knew, I didn't think I had to remind you. But you sound like you knew nothing about it."

Shikamaru frowned, his head spinning.

"I didn't."

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Dun dun, dun dun!! (Plays organ) What's going on here? What are Koetso and Entemi trying to play at? I know, but do you? 0.o


	17. Kazekage's Warning: Quit Now!

It's kind of obvious that this story is my best… Most reviews, most hits, most favorites, most alerts… I didn't think that would be the case when I started this, to be honest. I thought the Gaara story would take the lead, but I was proved wrong _pretty _quickly. Not that that's a bad thing! I'm happy if others are happy reading my stories, no matter _who_ they feature! ... And now I'm just mumbling incoherently, and you all probably wish I'd just shut up and starting writing the next chapter!! (Sweat drops) Well, here you go! **Oh wait!** Before I start, one very important announcement! I know how many of you have caught typos in my writing, right? (Is ashamed) But fear no more! I had to rely solely on WordPad, but I just got Microsoft Word!! (Cheers) And soon, I'm going to re-edit and re-post all chapters, of every story! So if there was something you didn't understand 'cause of my crazy typing, you can go back and re-read that one!! Yay, right? Yay!!

_"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."_

- William Shakespeare

* * *

"Chuunin Exams! Chuunin Exams!! Here I come, for the big bad Chuunin Exams!!"

Koetso exhaled, irritated.

"Shut up, you idiot," He snapped.

"It's not even time for the Chuunin Exams yet. Not until tomorrow."

"I know that!" Entemi cried defensively.

"I was just getting myself psyched for the matches!"

He brought his fists together, a cheesy grin plastered on his face.

"I'll become a Chuunin! And I'll go on all the cool missions Rhuta-chan is able to go on!"

He chuckled, rubbing his fists together. Then, he froze, and glared back at his teammate.

_"… And I'll be able to show up that stupid jerk, Koetso!"_

"Listen up," Shikamaru announced, placing himself in charge.

"The tests will be similar to the one a couple of years ago."

Yuri's head perked up.

"You mean, there's a written exam, survival test, and umm… ummm…"

"There's a written test, survival training, and then the Third Exam is confidential, but it's probably like most every other year- A ninja brawl, tournament-style."

"I see," Yuri murmured.

Entemi flashed a pleading smile.

"So, what's on the written exam, sensei?"

"Nice try, but I can't tell you. It's against the rules," Shikamaru droned.

"Besides, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I wasn't told. Nobody was. Only the Kazekage himself knows, and you won't get him to tell you, though you're welcome to try."

Entemi shuddered.

"And… and that's that scary looking, r-red-headed dude with the g-gourd on his back?"

Shikamaru nodded, a smirk crossing his features. Yuri felt her own body run cold. Shivering, she grasped a hold of her forearms.

_"That frightening man… Is the _Kazekage_ of this village?!"_

Shikamaru noticed her get suddenly stiff. He frowned.

_"Looks like she hasn't yet forgotten him…I don't blame her. Gaara nearly killed her…"_

Koetso, leaning up against a post of a local general store, closed his eyes.

"I heard he was a real monster in this village," He recited darkly.

"Using his sand, he killed others, with no regard for them whatsoever. That Ai on his forehead… I heard that meant that he loved only himself. It puzzles me… Why would people make a guy like that the Kazekage?"

"Gaara's changed," A hurt voice insisted.

"He… You didn't know him, idiot, so don't judge him."

Koetso's eyes sprang open, glaring at the speaker. He was clad in total black, including the pointed headpiece he wore.

"Kankurou," Shikamaru acknowledged.

The puppeteer stared menacingly at the dark-eyed Genin. As the two stared each other down, neither blinked, and it was as if Shikamaru and Yuri could feel the tension in the air. Entemi, however, remained oblivious, staring back and forth between the two.

"Do you two, err, know each other or somethin'?"

"Don't need to," Kankurou replied hotly.

"From that last sentence, I know everything I need to know about the bastard."

Koetso smirked cockily, unphased.

"So, you must be _the_ Kankurou. Gaara's elder brother."

"The one and only."

Kankurou was unusually curt today. He usually talked and talked, until some way or another, he offended someone.

"Hn. Whatever," Koetso finally said, breaking the link between the two.

He stalked back to the others.

"What was that about?" Entemi demanded.

"Nothing… Loser," Koetso fumed.

Kankurou, still glowering, turned to Yuri. She took a step away from him, hiding behind Shikamaru. It took a moment for the ninja to regain his former composure.

"Hey, Yuri, how does training sound today?"

The konoichi stepped out from behind her human shield, this time more boldly.

"Can I use Karasu?" She asked timidly, though she already knew the answer in the back of her mind.

_"No, Yuri, you'll break him. You're not experienced enough to convince me otherwise."_

"No, Yuri, you'll break him. You're not experienced enough to convince me otherwise," Kankurou recited.

"So… I have to use Ginkyo again?" She moaned.

"Yeah, you'll be using Ginkyo."

"Aww, but Kankurou- sensei! Ginkyo's joints creak, and he's not as swift as the Crow! And he isn't stealthy! I try to sneak up on you with him, and it sounds like thunder!"

Kankurou chuckled, shrugging.

"Guess you'll have to be quieter."

"I can't even hear myself think over his incessant clanking!"

Kankurou ignored her pleas, glancing up to Shikamaru.

"Mind if I steal her away from you for a little while?"

"Go ahead," Shikamaru replied, taking up an irked tone.

"Just tell me next time."

"You hit your head? I though Yuri said- ?"

"Never mind," The Chuunin sighed.

"Either take her or you don't."

"Umm… Right."

Yuri followed her sensei in puppets, biding her team good-bye, of which only Entemi acknowledged with a wave.

* * *

"So, what crawled up your boyfriend's butt?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Yuri protested.

"And… I'm guessing that he's still angry about yesterday."

"Why?" Kankurou pressed on.

"What happened yesterday?"

"Well, remember when you asked if I was sure that I had checked in with Shikamaru first, so you didn't get your butt chewed out, and I told you that he knew?"

"Yeah, and I _still_ got my heine chewed out."

"Well, I _thought_ he knew. Koetso told me he did… But Shikamaru knew nothing about it."

"So, in short, the punk lied to you?"

"It would seem that was the case…"

Kankurou tutted.

"Judging by what I know of 'em, he seems like the kind of person to do something like that. You should've made sure Shikamaru knew, instead of taking _Koetso's_ word for it."

Kankurou spoke the name "Koetso" so spitefully, as if he had done him personal wrong.

* * *

"No, not to the right! Left! _Left_!"

"I'm left-ing about as much as I can, Kankurou-sensei!" Yuri insisted.

She jerked her chakra strings back, arching her fingers to the left. Still the rebellious puppet wobbled right. Kankurou sighed heavily. He gingerly prodded various places of Ginkyo's body with a gloved hand. He heaved another defeated sigh.

"Yup, he's broken alright," He groaned.

"It'll take all night to fix him, too. He won't be done in time for the start of the Exams tomorrow."

Yuri groaned loudly, severing her chakra strings.

"What do you say you two call it a night?" Temari's voice came from across the desert terrain.

"It's getting really dark outside."

"Not like we have a choice," Kankurou mumbled.

He gathered the useless hunk of wood in his arms.

"Let's go take this thing inside, then I'll take you home."

Yuri nodded, following him inside.

"Hello, Yuri," Temari greeted, a small smile on her lips.

Yuri smiled back, continuing to follow Kankurou through the corridors. The place in which the sand siblings lived in was _huge_, and if she didn't keep up, she'd be lost for a month.

Kankurou set the wood down on his basement desk, where screwdrivers, nails, screws, other tools and bolts lay askew.

"Well, I'll try to have it done for you tomorrow to use in the exams, but I can't promise you anything."

"Okay," The konoichi muttered as her shoulders fell.

"In the meantime, why don't you have dinner with us?" He offered.

Yuri straightened up.

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah… just as long as Temari's ordering food. If she's doing the cooking herself, you're not the only one ditching this place."

Yuri laughed.

"Let's go back upstairs."

* * *

"This is very good!"

"Well, don't start handing out compliments," Temari grumped.

"We didn't cook anything."

Yuri happily stuck another helping of rice in her mouth, when something caught her eye. Something moved, and a large gourd was placed against the opposite wall. Her body stiffened when a man clad in maroon sat down in the vacant seat next to her.

"Done in the office already?" Kankurou questioned.

"Yes," Gaara replied, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

"I thought you might be home earlier tonight," Temari piped.

"That's why we let Kankurou's student here eat with us."

Gaara's teal eyes turned to the konoichi.

"Yuri… Was it?"

Yuri remained in her frozen state. Kankurou chuckled.

"Loosen up, kiddo. Gaara's like an animal- He can sense fear. And right now, you're radiating it."

Gaara's lips twitched with words he wanted to speak, but decided against the last second.

"Taking the Chuunin Exams this year?"

Finally, she forced herself to function properly.

"Y-y-yes…" Was all she managed to squeak out.

Gaara's eyes seemed to soften, and he began eating. Yuri, however dropped her chopsticks, suddenly loosing her appetite.

"You know, I- I think S-Shikamaru is waiting for me b-back at- "

"No he isn't!" Kankurou insisted.

"If he is, then he can wait until you finish your food!"

"I- I'm not really all that- "

"You are too hungry, at least you were until Gaara came in," Temari pointed out.

"Now eat up, so you can sleep soundly tonight, and wake up refreshed and restored for the Exams tomorrow."

Yuri brought more rice to her lips, but it just wasn't as appetizing as it had been a moment ago. Gaara let his chopsticks fall to the table.

"If you're done, then I'll take you home."

Yuri shot Kankurou a pleading look. He pretended not to see her as he ladled more dumplings onto his plate.

"Go ahead, Gaara. Temari and I will finish eating."

"No! Please- !"

"Let's go," Gaara ordered, standing to his feet.

Yuri cautiously followed, making sure to stay a good three feet behind him.

"Buh-bye!" The two chimed from the dinning room.

Gaara folded his arms across his chest as he made his way down the street.

"Keep up, or you'll get lost."

"Y-yes…"

She stilled lagged behind three feet.

"I should tell you… The Chuunin Exams are not a playground."

Yuri, forgetting her unspoken restraining order, ran up to him.

"What do you mean?" She inquired softly.

"I mean that you're not worthy of the title Chuunin," Gaara replied coldly.

"If you value your life, you'll back out."

Yuri halted in the middle of the street. The Kazekage turned, glaring her dead in the eyes.

"You're a weak shinobi," He pressed.

"Kankurou may train you all he wants, but he's wasting his time. You're not shinobi material."

Yuri gazed at him, apathetic. His words were beginning to take its toll. She had her doubts about the exams, but hearing that she didn't have what it took to become Chuunin from someone else, an experienced ninja, and a kage, made her question her abilities even more.

"I… I can do this," She protested timidly.

"I can become Chuunin. Kankurou's a good sensei. Besides, if I backed out now, the others will have made the trip for nothing-"

"Don't kid yourself. Better a wasted trip than a wasted life," Gaara snapped.

"The fact remains, you can't possibly hope to become Chuunin, so snap out of your fantasy world and realize what you're up against. Consider this a fair warning from someone who's already proved you wrong."

Gaara turned his back on her once again, walking off into the distance. Yuri stood alone, wind blowing sand across her face. She had silently made her decision. The Kazekage was wrong, and she knew it.

Tomorrow, she would tell Shikamaru she was dropping out of the Chuunin Exams.

* * *

There you go! I posted early this time! Yaaay! Oh, and just a heads up, I'm debating over discontinuing my Wolf's Rain series. That story is good, at least I think it is, but I just don't have the time for four stories. I shouldn't have posted it in the first place. 


	18. Kankurou's Trust: You're Wrong, Gaara!

Yuri may seem a little emo in this chapter… but hey! Can you blame her?! I mean, imagine how you would feel if you had a goal, and someone who was better than you in that area of expertise, told you that you had no chance of succeeding, and for you to give up. You would be a tad depressed, wouldn't you?! I thought so:)

_"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing that makes it happen."_

- Frank Lloyd Wright

* * *

"What?! You serious?!"

"Yes… I… I am withdrawing from the Chuunin Exams…"

"But you know, this means that the other two can't enter," Shikamaru reminded her.

"You'll be letting them _down_. Three days and you want to go back? What a drag."

Yuri's gaze dropped, torn with indecision. The lackadaisical Chuunin didn't actually care about letting the two down. But Yuri did, and he knew to play on her weaknesses in order to get her to stay.

"Better… a wasted trip, than a wasted life," Yuri breathed, repeating the young Kazekage's words.

Shikamaru flinched. He stared, disbelieving.

"You… You really mean it? You're withdrawing?"

He sighed, lifting his palm to his forehead.

"And the _morning_ of the exams, no less…"

Sitting down beside the girl, who was curled up in a ball on her bed, staring apathetically at the wall, Shikamaru gazed at her. She was there, but yet she was in a completely different place.

"Listen. You've come all this way to Sunagakure No Sato, three days journey, and you want to turn around now and go back? You can't _really_ be _serious_!"

"There is no point in continuing. I won't try and delude myself anymore…"

"I won't say you can," Shikamaru concluded.

"But I won't say you can't, either. We've been in desperate situations before, and we pulled through, right? Like on the bridge, with Vita… The Forest of Death, two years ago… and then, you running into Gaara… I don't know why you suddenly think you're so useless in the face of danger, but this isn't the same girl I… that I fell in love with two years ago."

He had expected to get a reaction out of that, but still, she stared aimlessly. The Chuunin was getting irritated.

"Listen," He demanded.

"I don't know what happened to make you want to suddenly quit, but I know for a fact that this isn't what you really want. You told me that your dream was to become a great ninja, and to be recognized. You think that running away from the Chuunin Exams is any way to prove that?!"

"I never said I was running away," Yuri murmured, barely audible.

"I just think I'm not ready this year. Perhaps, in a year, maybe two, I'll be ready to try and take the Exams. But right now… I know that I just can't hack it."

"_I mean that you're not worthy of the title shinobi,"_ Gaara's harsh words and icy stare boring, replaying itself again in her mind.

"_You're a weak shinobi. __The fact remains, you can't possibly hope to become Chuunin, so snap out of your fantasy world and realize what you're up against. Consider this a fair warning from someone who's already proved you wrong."_

"_Maybe… Did Gaara mean that I could _never_ be worthy of being a Chuunin?! I wonder…"_

"Shikamaru… honestly…" Yuri began, fumbling for words.

"Do you… Do you think I am a pathetic shinobi?"

"No!" Shikamaru replied, a bit too quickly.

Yuri grasped at the sheets.

"And… you're not just saying that to be nice, are you?"

"I don't flatter," Shikamaru answered.

Then it dawned on him.

"You… Someone didn't tell you that, did they?"

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Yuri nodded. The Chuunin scowled.

"Who? It was Kankurou, wasn't it? That's the last time I let him- "

"No, Kankurou-sensei's been nothing but good to me since I met him. But his brother… Gaara, he…"

"So, Gaara's the one putting all this junk of you being a worthless ninja in your head?"

Yuri didn't answer, remaining silent. She didn't need to say anything.

"_No wonder she was so down in the dumps. A lot of people would get bent out of shape if a kage told them that they weren't anything special."_

"Hey, forget what he thinks," Shikamaru said, leaning down to look his lily in the eyes.

"He's never seen you fight before. And the time when he tried to kill you, it isn't like he sounded a siren or anything and called "here I come". Besides, he's a Kazekage. He's going to think he's better than all the other ninja out there. Ignore him, Yuri. If everyone backed out every time someone else doubted them, only a handful of people would be taking the Chuunin Exams."

Yuri nodded indolently, making sense of what he was saying. Shikamaru sighed, straightening his composure and folding his hands behind his head.

"Then again, I can't stop from dropping out of the Exams. It's your choice, but I'm saying you shouldn't."

He glanced outside, watching the sun rise ever higher in the sky.

"But you need to decide now, Yuri. I have to take all three of you to the designated area of the first exam."

"I… I'll at least try… Shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, you should."

Yuri allowed a small smile to creep onto her otherwise depressed complexion.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"That's right."

* * *

To her utter disappointment, it was the Kazekage himself who stood on the Suna-Nin Main Building, addressing the potential Chuunin. Temari, Kankurou and several other Suna Jounin flanked Gaara's sides. On the plus side, however, mentors and senseis were permitted to stay, so she wasn't entirely alone as she clutched to Shikamaru's Chuunin vest. 

"It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Chuunin Exams," He began.

He looked, and sounded, quite uncomfortable. In fact, it didn't appear at all as if it _was_ his pleasure. It was obvious that wasn't joking with them, and cut right to the chase with his speech.

"The first portion of the Chuunin Selection Exams will not be a written test, as usual. This year, there won't be a standard pencil- and paper test."

There wasn't a Genin on the terrain that wasn't curious. Even Shikamaru furrowed his brow in confusion.

"But you told the Team leaders that this year would be similar to those years past," He argued.

"Conditions have changed since you were told as such. Teams have dropped out of the running, we have fewer participants, so we're combining the first and second exams into one this year," Was the red head's curt reply.

He pointed out to the desert.

"Each ninja will be given one scroll. These scrolls will contain data on another shinobi, from other than on your team. You may open them, and the information you read will be yours to interpret as you see fit. Misinterpret the data, and you could find yourself not passing the exam, or even worse, killed by the very ninja you thought you had figured out. You may steal the scrolls of others, and use the information, but again, the same warning applies.

"In addition to the scrolls, there will be forty-eight zodiac charms scattered around the terrain, four of each animal. Since there are ninety-six of you evenly, that means only half of you will pass this Exam. This is where the written test comes in, and the most vital part of the Exam, so listen up. As you already should know, the first Exam tests your abilities to gather correct information. Once you have found a charm, head to the central tower, over there, in the northeast."

Gaara's hand shifted in that such direction.

"There are several doors and stories in the tower, but they only open with a certain charm. For instance, only a Tiger charm can open a Tiger door. A Monkey charm on a Dragon door will remain locked."

"In that case, how are we supposed to know which charm goes to which door? Are the doors marked?" One curious Genin asked.

"No, but this is where knowing how to accurately gather correct information helps," The Kazekage continued.

"It would waste valuable time to simply try out every door with your charm. Each story has fifty doors around its circular core, which of only twenty open at all, and only with the proper charm-key. Opening one of the eight other doors could prove to be… fatal."

An eerie silence filled the Sand Village.

"However, if you know what door to open, you can avoid such an incident."

"So, how do we know which door is which?" Entemi called out.

"Use your head," Gaara replied bluntly, as if it was the most obvious thing.

"That's for you Genin to find out on your own. If you can't figure it out, then you don't deserve to be here."

"There is a five-day time limit," Temari added, a smirk crossing her face.

"If you can't figure out the puzzle in the anointed time, or you are incapacitated, you _fail_."

"You can be disqualified in a number of ways," Kankurou announced.

"Number one: You may not kill another ninja. You can decommission them, but no slaughter.

Number two: You may steal another ninja's scroll to gather more information on the other shinobi you are up against. You may plan an ambush. The terrain is yours to alter to your advantage.

Number three: You only need one charm- key per team, but if you so wish, you can be a punk and steal another team's key, so that they drop out of the running.

And the final thing is not a rule, but it is important nonetheless."

Kankurou turned to his brother, to give him the honors. Gaara nodded, before announcing,

"This Chuunin Selection Exam could very well contain some of the most promising candidates I've seen in my time as Kazekage of this village. The Third Exam will be ruthless, despite the small numbers. By all means, give up."

Though Gaara was not looking directly at her as he scanned the small crowd, Yuri couldn't help but think that he was indirectly singling her out. She felt Shikamaru nudge her side, as if reading her thoughts.

"Don't let it get to you," He whispered.

Yuri nodded, feeling slightly better. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

"That is all, so, let the Chuunin Exams commence!!"

Gaara raised his arms up in front of him, and the Jounin jumped down to the awaiting Genin and their senseis. Kankurou greeted Yuri as he hurdled the railing, landing down in front of her.

"Yo," He raised his hand in greeting.

"Ready for the Exams?"

He passed a single scroll out to her, Entemi, and Koetso. Yuri's lips twitched.

"Well… As ready as I'll ever be…"

"Not yet, you aren't," He smirked.

With a swift jerk on the straps on his shoulders, he pulled the Crow from his back, slamming it down in front of a shocked Yuri.

"Kankurou- sensei…"

"Take the Crow with you. He will prove useful in the Exams. Since the only people who have seen him are a few of the local ninja, he should be a good ace for you."

"Kankurou-sensei… Are… are you sure?"

"Positive," He laughed.

"But break him, and you're in for an ass kicking when you get back."

"Kankurou- sensei… Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Kankurou replied.

"Just don't get yourself disqualified already. If you do, I'll kick your ass worse than if you broke Karasu."

He gave her a thumbs up, before adding,

"Make me look like I know what I'm doing."

Yuri gasped.

"_Make me look like a genius."_

"_Make me look like I know what I'm doing."_

She smiled softly.

"_I'd be letting a lot of people down if I fail these Exams… I can't lose here."_

"Don't worry Kankurou-san… I won't let you, or anyone else down."

"…_And I'll prove Gaara wrong. I will be an excellent shinobi… Just wait and see."_

Kankurou smiled as he watched Yuri slip the bandaged puppet onto her back. He gazed back at Gaara, who scowled down at him.

"Well… I've got to get back. Good luck, Yuri."

"Yes. I'll make you proud, Kankurou- sensei."

* * *

The young Kazekage scowled down at his elder brother as he addressed the young Leaf konoichi. Yuri. He watched in disapproval as he gave the girl his cherished puppet. 

"_Kankurou, you fool… He never could recognize talent when he saw it…"_

Kankurou, as if he had read his younger brother's mind, glanced over his shoulder back up at him. He saluted Yuri, before vanishing in a puff of smoke. He reappeared beside his elder brother.

"You know, Gaara… I really think that she has what it takes to become Chuunin."

"Kankurou, you fool," Gaara snapped, voicing his thoughts.

"She has no talent as a shinobi whatsoever. She's pathetic."

Kankurou flinched at his brother's cold tone.

"Gaara…"

The Kazekage glared down at her, his arms folded.

"She doesn't have what it takes to wield the Crow. Only you and Chiyo could ever hope to master him."

Kankurou frowned.

"I don't believe a word of that," He retorted.

Gaara's eyes widened. Kankurou had challenged him.

"You haven't seen what she can do, Gaara."

He smiled, watching Shikamaru embrace her.

"She actually reminds me of Naruto… She doesn't give up easily. She's way more modest than him, but still… The heart and determination to prove herself burns within her. I think she has all the potential to be great… And I'm going to back her the whole way there."

Shikamaru leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on Yuri's lips before releasing her and watching her walk into the desert, Koetso and Entemi following close behind.

"She'll make it. She has a heart of gold, and a will of fire."

* * *

And that is all! Next time, we'll actually begin the Chuunin Exams! 


	19. Gaara's Dilemma: Morals Clash!

It's been soooo long, I know, I KNOW!!!! And I'm sooo sorry! Please forgive me!!! I have the worst internet connection IN THE WORLD :( But I suppose that's no excuse... So I'll post a little Christmas one-shot for you! It's going to include a little bit of everything, and I don't see how I can tie it into the Chuunin Exams, so, it'll be on a completely different thing altogther, okay? Completely irrelevant to the storyline, but still fun to read:D

_"The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all."_

- Jawaharlal Nehru

* * *

She felt naked without Shikamaru, afer being ith him for so long. And with her previous Chuunin experience fresh in her mind, she was more fearful than nervous. She half expected Vita to come walking casually out of every crevice, or for her to come through the sand, like a demon, hacking her way through the desert. 

If her heart hadn't been pounding so loud in her throat, Yuri would have been able to hear Entemi's legs clacking together like a pair of maracas. Exhaling sharply, Koetso stopped abruptly in clearing. He wheeled around to face the other two.

"Knock it off," He demanded curtly.

"Honestly, I'm suprised we haven't been ambushed by now with the both of you making as much noise as you are."

Entemi hissed, a fire flaring behind his eyes.

"Hey, who died and made you leader of this team?"

"Well, you're about to die once you give us away," Koetso spat.

He turned on heel and began to walk away.

"But I suppose that doesn't matter, since you're the team's weakest link anyway and certainly no leader."

"Oh yeah?! I'll bet you- !"

"Look out!" Yuri cried.

The girl dove to the right, elbowing the Genin out of the way. Entemi hit the ground with an "oof" as a giant boulder swung by, clipping Yuri in the shoulder. She spun, clutching her arm. Scanning the rock, it seemed to levitate, held up by nothing at all. Then a small flicker of blue caught her eye, fine like string. A sign any remotely observant puppeteer would recgonize. The boulder swirved unsteadily in the air before twisting and flying right for her head.

_"The boulder... It's being controlled... with chakra!"_

But noticing the technique was only half the battle. She still had to figure out how to stop it. She didn't have time to think. Only to act.

She flipped out of the line of fire, but the boulder swivvled again, twisting and turning in midair. Whoever was controlling this, she observed, was an amuter.

Entemi lunged in front of Yuri, crashing his fists together, cracking like thunder. Yuri gasped, eyes growing wide.

"No! You have to get out of the way, Entemi-kun! I know how to take care of this! Don't hurt yourself wrecklessly!"

"Oh, gimme a break!" Entemi assured her.

"This pebble is nothing to me! I'll break it, and the loser that thinks it ever stood a chance against me, Entemi Yagami!"

His eyes narrowed, and his face twisted into one of sheer concentration. His fists unclentched, and held them out flat in front of him, a low growl erupting from his throat.

"Shou-Geki-Shou (Rising Impact Palm)!"

Throwing his left palm forward, it collided with the boulder. It shattered into what seemed like hundreds, perhaps thousands of peices. Yuri blinked, temporarily unsure of what had just happened.

Koetso, when he had left beyond her, landed down beside of Yuri, three ashamed Rock-nin bowing thier heads, all tied up back to back. He dusted his hands off on his pants, smirking.

"Just taking out the trash," He informed the other two cockily.

"Yeah, me too!" Entemi piped, folding his hands behind his head.

"As if that stupid rock could touch me, the next best ninja _ever_!"

"Don't let it go to your head, imbecile. It's already inflated five times more than it needs to be."

"Wha-? Arrgghhh, Koetso! You're really one to talk! Look at you! You think you're so cool- I'll show you! I bet I'll beat more ninja than you during the exams!"

Koetso dug into the pockets of one of the Rock ninja. In his hands, a small golden monkey caught the light of the evening Suna sun. He smiled.

"You know, you shouldn't make bets you can't pay up for."

"That's no bet, Koetso, you jerk! That's a promise!"

Yuri felt admiration sweel up in her chest. Maybe, she wasn't as unsafe as she had initially thought.

* * *

The Kazekage leaned forward on the railing, surveying the view from above. The other senseis had cleared, and all who remained stood talking to one another, bragging about thier students. 

"Mine nearly made it last year! A mere stroke o' bad luck keep 'em from advancin' though. Despite that, he's the best shinobi out there, I promise ya!"

"Ha! Doubt it! My kid, Gotta, never tried the exams before. He was nervous, but you know, his genjutsu can bring any grown man to his knees, begging for salvation!"

"Well, your student's genjutsu will look sick next my student's taijutsu. She's the best shinobi, male or female, that the Grass has ever seen!"

"Don't you wish...!"

Gaara tuned them out, another more familiar shinobi catching his eye. He wore a black sash across his chest, and no shirt, with long almost-white pants, what seemed like a french horn strapped to his back. His long silvery hair cascaded down his back, majestic, like a rippling waterfall. As if to justify his backward appearance, tied to his sash was the hitiate bearing the Sound insignia. Gaara scowled. It was _him_.

"Hey hey, no carrying grudges, alright?" Temari reminded him, noticing her younger brother stiffen.

"We're trying to keep peace with the Sound, remember? That's hard to do if you still cling to that vendetta against Orochimaru."

It was strange, seeing how Temari seemed to know exactly who was bringing out Gaara's bitterness. Then again, it was hard to miss the strange man.

"He used my father, where he was using me," Gaara spoke with an even tone.

"I carry that grudge against Orochimaru himself, not against any shinobi in particular. But I do sense... That man there, he is evil. I saw him earlier. He adressed me."

Gaara paused, debating whether or not to tell his sister of thier encounter, but deciding he should, since he'd already begun.

"His name is William Geikko, of the Sound. He told me that he was pleased to be here, and..."

"And what, Gaara?" Temari persisted.

He turned to his elder sister, eyes filled with genuine worry.

"Ever since I tried to kill Lee, and that girl, Yuri, I have felt guilty about it, especially with us being allies. Lee seems to have forgiven me... but Yuri certainly has not."

"So what does that have to do with this William guy? Why does that make him 'evil'?"

"She has been hard to look after. She nearly died after I attacked her, and was out for two whole years. I am beginning to think that... when I attacked her, I didn't do my job. Perhaps it was her time... It's what I've been thinking about. Perhaps, that day, she was _meant_ to die. Ever since she awoke, the odds have seemed to be against her. With the Vita woman on her trail, and now William, and this Willow... It would have been so less painful if I'd just finished the job myself, and spared her from all of this misery..."

Temari gaped, shocked by her brother's coldness.

"William, his son, Willow, and his other two teammates, are going to kill her in that forest. They promised me so."

"No way!" Temari breathed.

"Gaara! You... You have to stop this! You can't just let her die! Why are they after her? This doesn't make any sense!! Gaara, you've got to do something! Send in shinobi, tell Kankurou, he-!"

"I'm doing all I can," Gaara snapped, clentching the railing.

"He promised that if I did anything to try and stop him, he'd declare war on Sunagakure No Sato. There are shinobi in diguise stationed all around _my_ village. Believe me, as soon as I figure out who they are, and I have my own squad working on it, then those bastards will die. No one threathens my village. But until the she's on her own. Though I'm afraid it'll be too late by then... That was my intention in discouraging Yuri from entering the Exams. If she just left home, I could keep her safe escorting her and her team home. I don't know what she's capable of... But she doesn't stand a chance against Willow... He'll annihilate her. I couldn't do a more thorough job of that."

Temari found it hard to breathe as her gaze shifted down to the shirtless Sound ninja below her.

"He's threatening us... with _war_ if we interfere with the assassination of one shiobi?"

Gaara nodded.

"Far-fetched, isn't it? But those were his demands... I don't see what's so signifigant about her, but... If I even try to help her out, those shinobi in hiding will appear, and slaughter many innocent villagers before I get there. And Yuri would still die anyway. So many deaths... I just can't risk it, but..."

He brought a hand to his temple.

"But my hands are pretty tied, I'm afraid. I'll find a loop hole, somewhere... And I'll save Yuri. But until I find that glitch in thier plan acting suspicious is out of the question. The first strange move I make, and it's game over."

"I- I'll inform Kankurou, and Shikamaru. They'll want to know about-"

"No, you won't," Gaara snapped.

Temari flinched.

"Unlike me, Kankurou and Shikamaru are both emotionally tied to Yuri. They'll act rash, and the second they do, it's all down the drain. Listen, I'll notify you personally once I have this figured out. Until then, keep your mouth shut, Temari. Don't you dare tell a soul, understand? And... help me, please. I fear, I can't do this alone..."

"O-of c-course, Gaara, I'll do everything in my power. Just let me know..."

"And I will. Thank you."

Temari turned and walked back into the builing awkwardly.

_"I wonder... Was I wrong to tell Temari? Should I just let Yuri die, to avoid complication? ...No, that's insane. I could never look at Kankurou the same again..."_

For a split second, Willaim gazed up at the Kazekage with neon blue eyes. Gaara's glared back intensely, but he couldn't help but feel intimidated under his gaze. William locked Gaara's eyes with his a moment longer...

...and smiled.

* * *

That's it! Ta-ta! Hope you liked! 


	20. Man of Many Charms

Again… It's taken me forever, but I've finally updated! That's a positive… I hope. I know I've said this a million times before, but I'm going to try to stop procrastinating with this, but I'M BEING SERIOUS THIS TIME!!... At least I'm trying to be…

"_Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question."_

- Albert Camus

* * *

Koetso held the bronze tiger up in the air, gleaming in the Suna sunlight. Entemi shifted from the right to left impatiently, drooling at the zodiac key.

"Lemme hold it!" He pleaded, already reaching for it.

"No way," The raven-haired Genin snapped, holding it higher as to keep it well out of his vertically challenged companion's reach.

"Aww, C'mon!" He whined.

"Why not? Why do you get to hold it when nobody else does?"

"I won't lose it."

"Doubt it!"

"Please, stop fighting!" Yuri ordered, patience wearing very, very thin.

"You two have made nothing but noise since we entered this gorge, and quite frankly, it's gotten us into trouble on more than one occasion! So, if you'd kindly stop, we only have one day left to get to that tower, and we're far from being safe!"

Koetso and Entemi exchanged surprised looks. They'd never heard the timid Yuri shout in such a manner before. Flustered, she struck flint to tinder, bringing forth a flame.

"Yuri-chan… Is something bothering you?" Entemi questioned.

"Of course she's irritated," Was Koetso's harsh reply.

"She's had to put up with you the past four days in a row."

Sticking out his tongue, Entemi plopped on the ground, tossing his scroll in the air.

"I know our plan was to try and get through the exams without it- but d'you think we could open'em now?"

"I don't mind," Yuri replied

She shuddered, her body suddenly very cold, despite the fire before her.

"Alright!" He cheered, already picking at the scroll's seal.

Both Koetso and Yuri pulled identical scrolls from their shinobi tool pouches. Entemi flattened his out on the ground, reading off the statistics.

"Hikoroti Genshou, age sixteen, Kirikagure. Sex, male. The graph says that he specializes primarily in genjutsu, lacks in taijutsu."

He glanced up, wide-eyed and enthusiastic.

"Wow, you don't get more obvious than that! This guy is so into genjutsu that he sucks at close-range combat! Man, my fighting style is the perfect comeback for him!"

"Shut up, we don't know what his other teammates are like," Koetso snapped.

"For all we know, each of them could have a different specialty, and together be an excellent squad. Our only safe assumption could be placed off we were to get another scroll that happened to be one of his teammates."

Opening his scroll, he smirked.

"J'ishen Kaddakori, age sixteen, Kirigakure. Sex, male. Teammates include Hikoroti Genshou and Esme Takahashi He's also emphasized in genjutsu, but he's exceptional at taijutsu as well. His weakness lies in his intellect- he has an IQ of 57."

Glancing at his scroll, Entemi added,

"That Hikoroti guy had an IQ of one-o-eight."

Yuri opened her scroll, scanning it briefly, and gasped. Entemi scrambled next to her in an instant.

"What, what?"

"Willow Kurosawa, age eighteen, Otogakure. Sex, male. Teammates include Airi Fukui and Yuu Takenaka. The graph indicates that he's good at both ninjutsu and taijutsu, and his genjutsu is average. But his IQ…"

She gazed up at Koetso in wide-eyed disbelief.

"…His IQ is two hundred and nine."

* * *

"Hey, where's Gaara?"

"It's Gaara-_sama_ now, infidel," Temari teased the lackluster Chuunin.

"And he isn't in at the moment. Confidential business, and it's important, so your concerns will have to wait."

She found it harder said than done to keep up with her normal visage in front of Kankurou and Shikamaru when she knew something that would quickly make both of their worlds fall apart. Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets, frowning.

"I have a few questions for him."

"I just told you. He's gone. Come back in a few hours."

"He's been gone for the past four days," Shikamaru pointed out.

Temari bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Yeah. He's been real busy since the Chuunin Exams started- this is his first year hosting the Exams, you know, and the pressure's really on."

"In more than one way," Shikamaru challenged.

The Jounin tried to keep calm and collected as she attempted a sarcastic laugh, coming out as a high-pitched cackle.

"What do you mean?" She asked, feigning innocence.

He sighed, scratching his head.

"I'd meant to ask the Kazekage himself what's going on, but I suppose you'll have to do."

"Don't play dumb," Shikamaru retorted.

"You'd have to be real naïve not to notice all the Anbu patrolling the village, and added together Gaara's constant state of absence, I know something's going on. And your fidgety composure isn't helping your case any."

He paused, before continuing,

"And Kankurou's normal visage hasn't changed any, so I can't help but to be pretty sure that whatever secret you, the Anbu, and Gaara are hiding, Kankurou isn't in on it."

His eyes narrowed criticizing.

"…And if Gaara bothered to tell you, while he left Kankurou out, when I know he's closer to Kankurou than you… it must be personal. It concerns someone, or something, close to him."

Ignoring Temari's attempts to wave him out of the room, he continued tenaciously.

"My first guess would be that something is wrong with him, and Gaara is too proud to tell him, as I know that you wouldn't have a problem telling Kankurou, or it's about Yuri. There's no other explanation as to why all these Anbu would be hanging around here."

He took a deep breath, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

"If it has something to do with Gaara, then okay, that's your business. I won't push it. But I'm asking you now… If it has to do with Yuri, I want to know now. I'll keep it to myself, and I won't act stupid."

With a coy smirk, he added,

"I won't even tell Gaara that I know. I just want to know what's going on. I don't like being left in the dark, not when it concerns me."

"But it doesn't concern you," Temari replied.

"If it concerns Yuri, it concerns me," Shikamaru responded with a sense of finality.

"We've been a team together for almost four years now, along with Ino and Chouji. If it concerns any of them, it automatically concerns me."

Summoning up the guts, he added,

"_Especially_ if it concerns Yuri."

Temari nodded in understanding.

"Well, Gaara only briefed me on the situation, but it would seem that once again, the Sound are being conniving bastards."

"So it is about Yuri."

Temari nodded solemnly.

"But for some reason, two of them, William, and his son, Willow, who is partaking in the Chuunin Exams, are after Yuri. For some reason, they haven't disclosed why, they want her eliminated."

Shikamaru cringed at this information, but listened intently.

"Gaara would've intervened, but William threatened that if Gaara made any suspicious moves to stop his son and call off the Exams, William and the rest of the Sound who are all in on this ordeal will slaughter every villager and shinobi they come into contact with, and then kill Yuri anyway."

She shrugged, laughing bitterly.

"So you see, we're in a bit of a bind. Gaara knows how Kankurou feels about Yuri- like she's his little sister. He obviously harbors strong feelings for her, or else he wouldn't have let her borrow the Crow. Aside from that, Gaara feels guilt for his assault on her three years ago. He's made amends to Konoha and Lee, but he had yet to do anything but bring the fear of God into Yuri. He has a one-track mind- that if he saves her from these Sound trash, this weight will be lifted from his shoulders."

Shikamaru frowned, beads of sweat collecting on his brow.

"There's no reason as to why these Sound ninja would want her dead," He concluded finally, after a long silence.

"She's never even been in contact with any of them before. Well, except for that time in the forest, with that Dosu guy… This is completely irrational, it doesn't make any sense-"

Then it clicked. It was impossible, but the Chuunin wouldn't have put it past that scum of a woman to do something like this.

"Temari, tell me… does the name "Vita" ring any bells to you?"

"Vita?" Temari repeated.

"Well, I can't put a face with any names… but there have been a lot of scum hanging around here these past few months. You'd have to ask Gaara about that one."

"Alright, I will. Where is he?"

"He's down at the entrance to the village."

"Why would he be there?" Shikamaru asked incredulously.

"Looking for Earth Country shinobi," Was Temari's blunt reply.

"He's accepted trade with them once again, and- "

"Damn!" Shikamaru swore, pounding his fist into the side of the building.

"What?"

"Not the Earth!" The Chuunin replied sharply.

"Vita's rouge from the Earth- Do you have any idea how easily she could confiscate those traded items and pose as an Earth shinobi- Without Gaara's ever knowing?"

"Wait a second," Temari retorted.

"Gaara's no fool. He's got a bingo book with rouge from all the countries, and he could recite every name and distinguishable traits about every ninja in it, he's studied it so hard. If she's anything to worry about, she'll be in there, and he'll take her out, trust me. And, if she isn't in the bingo book, she's no big deal, and Gaara'll kill her as soon as she makes a suspicious move. He's really on edge now, you know."

"She is a big deal," Shikamaru insisted.

"My team knows first hand just how much of a big deal she really is."

"Then, Gaara will kill her."

Shikamaru scowled, hands in his pockets.

"It isn't as simple as that."

Temari laughed heartily.

"Give me a break," She scoffed.

"Gaara can handle her, trust me. He was powerful last time you saw him fight, and he was reckless with his sand then. Now, he's more put together, and he's learned some new tricks. No one can take Gaara down, I assure you."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, I am. And so is every last person in this village- even those Willow and William people- they know what Gaara is capable of. That's why they had no choice but to put him in a bind like this, because they knew good and well they couldn't take him head on."

Shikamaru frowned.

"Well, let's go down to the entrance of the village and talk to Gaara."

"You'll show respect to him; it's Gaara-_sama_ now. And you know he's going to kill me for telling you about the situation."

"Fine," He replied curtly.

* * *

"What did you say her name was?"

The girl lifted the scroll back to her face.

"Yuri. Yuri Neri-"

Willow sighed, snatching the scroll from his teammate, tossing it into the fire.

"Her name is Yuri _Noemi_. Wrong Yuri, Airi."

The girl crawled across the sand, gently stroking his biceps.

"Sorry, Willow. Yuu and I will get the right scroll tomorrow, okay? Won't we, Yuu?"

She gazed pleadingly up at Yuu, who sat cross-legged on the other side of the fire, flames dancing in his eyes.

"Sure."

Willow sat up from his position against the tree, Airi watching his every move.

"But that's just it. We've decommissioned more shinobi than I can remember. We're running out of tomorrows, because tomorrow, we advance to the central tower."

White tresses of hair caressed his pale complexion, staring down the female with electric blue eyes.

"I want Noemi Yuri. I'll get her, with, or without that scroll. But that scroll makes everything easier for me. It would tell me what her strengths and weaknesses are, as well as her level intellect. Not having it… is only a minor setback."

He stood up, Airi trailing right behind him as a lovesick puppy.

"But why do you want _her_, anyways?" She demanded, slightly offended.

"What does this wench have I don't?"

"Do I sense jealousy?" Willow questioned, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he rounded on her.

He grasped her forearms, kissing her forehead.

"Don't be," He reassured her as she melted into his arms.

"She is a valuable… pawn, in my scheme of things."

"Just a pawn?" Airi whispered.

"Only a pawn."

"If you say so…"

"It's fine, don't you worry. Now, you need your beauty sleep."

Willow steered her away from the fire, and the two disappeared into the night. Yuu glared into the fire, turning the skewered lizards over the flames.

"_The nerve of him… That bastard… But I suppose she will only bring the misery upon herself…"_

Willow returned several minutes later, sitting across from his comrade. Finally looking up from the fire, Yuu asked,

"Haven't told her about the _whole_ plan with Yuri, have you?"

The white –haired man smiled, taking a lizard from the skewer. Yuu's gaze dropped back down to the flames.

"Didn't think so."

"Why would I tell her the whole story, when she's so much more content being a naïve girl?"

"She's supposed to be your teammate, your friend," Yuu argued timidly.

"Friend, you say," Willow repeated, taking a bite out of the lizard's side.

"She's is just another pawn to me, as I am a pawn of Orochimaru-sama's."

"You know Airi-chan is in love with you."

"I do. I want to keep it as such. As long as she loves me, she is devoted to me. As long as she is devoted to me, she will commit herself to my purpose. And as long as she commits to my purpose, then I'll ascend the ranks of power. This is ultimately my desire."

Yuu brought the lizard to his lips, dropping the stick on the ground. Hesitating, he asked,

"I remember Orochimaru-sama saying that if his plan with Sasuke Uchiha fell through, then you would be his next body, Willow."

"That's right," Willow replied, snapping the lizard's head from the rest of its body.

"Orochimaru-sama said that because he knew that I would then compete with Sasuke for Orochimaru-sama's favor, and try to kill Sasuke. But Orochimaru's a damn fool. It's true I dislike Sasuke, but because his power rivals my own, not because he is favored by Orochimaru."

He peered at his accomplice through his bangs.

"And that is where Yuri comes in."

"I see. So you plan to draw out Sasuke using an old comrade."

"It is not primarily about Yuri knowing _Sasuke_," Willow answered with a coy smile.

"…But about Yuri knowing _Gaara_."

"This girl knows the Kazekage of Sunagakure?"

"Indeed. In fact, my father's informed me that Gaara harbors feelings for the girl… Whether these are feelings of love, or simply acquaintanceship, I am not certain, but nonetheless- Gaara took the bait."

He threw the lizard's head over his shoulder, chewing on its tail.

"Orochimaru-sama was a damn fool. I won't go to the ends of the Earth for _him_- I would, however, go to the ends for _power_."

A shudder rippled down Yuu's spine.

"The Akatsuki… Your aim is the Bijuu."

"Yes," Willow hissed in pleasure.

"A group like the Akatsuki won't accept just anyone. But if I grace them with the Kazekage of the Sand, beholder of Shukaku, they will allow me to join, where I can truly become powerful, among the most powerful of all the villages."

"… You could just have easily taken Kankurou or Temari, any Suna citizen, for that matter. He loves the village, and all if its inhabitants. Why the girl?"

"Like I said, we don't know what kind of relationship Gaara has, but it's for sure he's try to rescue her. I didn't need to use Yuri- But I'm hoping to lure out Sasuke as well. If I can hit two birds with a single stone, why not?"

"But Sasuke wouldn't be drawn out by Naruto- let alone this girl."

Willow laughed, throwing the remains of the animal into the fire.

"Sasuke will come, in the name of revenge! A woman by the name of Vita assaulted him recently. Although she was forced to retreat, she left her mark. I know that she wants Yuri dead, and she will come. Once Sasuke knows she's here, he'll come to finish her off, so you see, Yuri plays an important role. Such a part couldn't be played by Temari or Kankurou."

Yuu threw his lizard into the fire as well, watching the flames once again.

"You sure have your sights set high."

"That I do. And I'll settle for no less until the world gives disregard to the sun, and rotates around _my_ hands."

* * *

Wow, he's insane. I love it!!


	21. A Kunoichi's Personal Flaw

Wow. I took the liberty of re-reading this series yesterday, and woah. Typos and misprints galore. The plot is a bit sketchy, and overall I'm not satisfied. I may end up re-writing the series, but not until after I've finished it altogether... Maybe. I may start editing as soon as I post this chapter. All depends on how I feel. It's been years since I started this story. I am also currently, and shamelessly, writting yet another Naruto fanfic. Not sure yet about the pairing, though I'm leaning towards a Gaara one. It's just an idea right now, it may never even make it as far as being posted here. My skills as a writer, well, I can safely say that they've improved drastically since I first came onto this site. Now, enough idle chit-chat. As always, the standard disclaimer applies.

_"Misfortune shows those who are not really your friends."_

-Aristotle

----------

It was a bit too good to be true.

The team had only been assulted once during the entire exam, and as Yuri gazed up at the peak of the tower, she just wasn't aware she'd ever had this kind of luck.

"Oh, cool!" Entemi exclaimed, kneeling down by the a small pool of water at the right-hand base of the tower. There was a litte intricate stone sculpture, a dragon, coiled around the mouth of the fountain in which the water spewed. Its jaw was open wide. Yuri knelt down to peer into the statue's mouth, and saw that it was hollow.

Entemi splashed the water over his forehead, his rosy cheeks, his mouth.

"Ahh! That feels _so _good!"

With a sly smirk, he quickly splashed Koetso with water, who replied with an intimidating growl. The blue-eyed Genin snickered.

"Watch it, idiot."

"Stay here," Yuri commanded, raising her index finger as she walked around the base of the tower.

She saw a sculpture-fountain fixture about the same size of the dragon, although it was of a dog, it muzzle held upwards, holwling at the sky. Its opened maw, like the dragon's, revealed a hollowed out stone structure. Continuing to venture around the tower, she also examined a horse, monkey, ox, pig, rabbit, ram, rat, rooster, snake and tiger.

_"All the animals of the zodiac,"_ She mused.

In a few more steps, she was back around to the front, where she'd found the dragon. Koetso and Entemi looked at her expectantly. Yuri smirked to herself with self-satisfaction.

"Let's go!!" Entemi cheered, bursting through the entrance to the tower.

The inside of the tower was dimly lit, the only light being windows at the top. Around the walls spiraled a staircase, and transportation became evident, though it didn't look remotely promising. The steps were cracked and crumbling away from years of wear and use. Entemi charged up the stairs immediately, but Yuri wasn't so sure. Koetso obviously shared her same thoughts, as he remained by her side, arms crossed across his chest.

"C'mon, slowpokes!" Entemi called, scrambling up the stairs.

The next step he took, the staircase crumbled beneath him, and he lunged for the next few steps as the concrete fell and shattered on the ground with an impact that seemed to echo for a full minute. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"Well..." Koestso chided,

"Looks like it's now or never, Entemi. This'd be done best without an audience."

Yuri's brow furrowed, and her head whipped around to face the raven-haired Genin. His voice had taken on a different, more gravel-like tone. His head bowed, and he stared at Yuri's feet. Entemi, stood, dusting himself off.

_"Looks like... Here it comes,"_ Yuri mused, bracing herself.

"Yeah... Let's not play around. She's nice, and I don't want her to have to suffer all that long."

"Whatever, loser."

"What are you two-?"

Before she could finish her question, Koesto swung at her. Yuri lept back, avoiding the attack easily. The cement of the wall chipped, and the flesh of Yuri's cheeck split open.

_"He focuses his punches with chakra," _She observed.

_"Even if I evade a direct attack from him, the chakra he loads his punches with could have the potential to kill me."_

She didn't have time to mull her discovery over and formulate a plan in her mind, because Entemi lunged at her from the staircase, his fist raised above his head. She flipped over him just in time to land on the staircase and turn to watch the concrete where she'd recently been standing turn into a crater under his powerful fist. Wasting no time, she sprinted up the staircase. But the two shinobi were already on her heels. All along the walls, there were several pictures of doors carved into the concrete. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, a quick survey showed her that there were only eight doors.

"_It would waste valuable time to simply try out every door with your charm. Each story has fifty doors around its circular core, which of only twenty open at all, and only with the proper charm-key. Opening one of the eight other doors could prove to be… fatal."_

She wasted no time in throwing one open, only to be greeted by nothing but air. She threw herself out of the doorway, using her chakra to soften to impact, landing back by the dragon statue.

"No one can help you now!!" Entemi called, leaping from the window, followed by his teammate.

He brandished his fist again, and it connected with Yuri's chest. She gasped, stumbling back several steps before doubling over and disappearing in a puff of smoke. Koesto swore aloud.

"When?!" He demanded, slamming his fist into the side of the building.

"We've been tailing her closely since we met her in the Leaf!!"

"Like a shadow!" Entemi agreed, spiting into the dragon's fountain.

"Willow... Will not like this..."

"Well, stop complaining about it, and let's split up. You take the right, I'll go left. Send up a signal from those fireworks I gave you earlier if you find her. I'll do the same, so keep an eye out on the skies."

"Gotcha."

The two ran off in thier respective directions, and Yuri peered out from the window at the top of the tower. Before she could step out onto the ledge, arms grabbed her from behind, tackling her out the window. She landed painfully on her stomache, knocking the wind completely out of her. Her captor shifted her arms to one hand. There was a small metallic clinking sound, then a kunai was at her throat.

"Sorry about your bad luck," Koestso droned,

"But we're not that stupid."

Yuri's fingers twitched, and the kunai was pressed closer to her throat. A second pair of hands quickly grasped ahold of her fingers.

"You think we didn't notice that the Crow was gone?" Entemi demanded, delivering a swift kick to her thigh.

"You won't have the chance to use that big hunk of junk."

Yuri remained silent, lifting her face from the ground.

"Go find the puppet, Entemi. She might have a clone controlling it somewhere. Send it back to those sand bastards in peices."

"Right," Entemi obliged, rising to his feet and running off into the terrain.

"As for you..."

Koetso rose, taking Yuri with him. She shuffled under her restraint, as she was taller than him. Her palms closed, interlacing her fingers. His mouth was near her ear, and he spoke.

"Willow wants you alive, but too bad for him, I serve a higher power."

"Orochimaru..." Yuri murmured, her lips barely moving.

"Exactly. Willow thinks he's something special, but he's just a pawn to further Lord Orochimaru's plans."

Koesto spoke Willow's name like he was a contagious disease. There was obviously bad blood between the two of them.

"Sasuke will be Lord Orochimaru's new body, and I'll show them both that I am not just a pawn... And I'll show them that by bringing you to Orochimaru _personally_. Entemi will _never _share my glory."

"What does someone like Orochimaru want with me?" Yuri asked.

"It's in your blood," He replied dully, as if he'd recited this story a hundred times, and was sick of doing so.

"You never wondered what happened to your parents, your entire family?"

"Oboro is--"

"Oboro is not your blood brother. He was asked by the Third Hokage to watch over you, from afar. He thought it'd be best if you never knew your heritage as a decendant of the Noemi clan. Stupid old man, shielding you from that kind of knowledge. From that kind of _power_."

Yuri could hear the anger in his voice, as if the Third Hokage had done him some personal wrong. In response, the blade against her neck quivered, slicing a light gash. A paper-thin line of blood trailed down her collarbone.

"Your family was murdered, but I guess you kind of could have told yourself that, right?" He asked with a soft chuckle.

When Yuri didn't answer, his laughter became louder. His fingers brushed hers to make sure there were no lines of chakra, then continued.

"You never realized you had a kekkei genkai of your own, did you?"

Yuri jaw dropped in shock, and she almost twisted her head around to gawk at Koetso.

"That's right. You bear the name _Noemi_," He explained dreamily, as if he wanted the name as well.

"If you'd ever done your homework, if curiousity had _ever _taken you, you'd know what a revered name that used to be, before Hidan killed them all. _**Why **_he left a brat like you, though, is beyond me... Your clan, it's in your blood to recooperate from injuries quickly. That's why your clan make such efficient shinobi."

The kunai was removed from her throat momentarily, and Koetso ran a finger along her neck. The flesh was smooth, though she'd only just been cut. Only a tiny trail of dried blood remained. It finally occured to her, how she'd been up and moving in no time after every severe injury she'd ever suffered. After Vita, and Gaara, even... after a matter of a day or two, she could walk, and only a month ago, she'd been in a coma in the Leaf village. Yet here she was, taking the Chuunin Exams. She could still see Gaara's intense eyes boring into her solemnly, quietly contemplating her condition.

_"You aren't worthy of the title Chuunin..."_

_"That's why your clan make such efficient shinobi."_

Yuri smirked, even as the cool blade was pressed back against her neck.

"You know what my dream was, growing up?"

She didn't wait for an answer; she doubted he'd ask for it anyways.

"I wanted to be a great shinobi, someone that others respected and admired."

"It's too bad," Koetso droned apathetically,

"Because once I turn you in to Lord Orochimaru, he wants to _experiment _with you. As the last of your clan, he intends to graft your bloodline into Sasuke's, making the Lord's future body flawless."

"Well, you'll have to give your "lord" my deepest apologizes, because I won't be cooperating," Yuri retorted bitterly.

"I'd rather die."

"In due time, I'm sure you will," Koetso chuckled.

"I would even go as far as to say that the process itself might kill you."

Yuri's smile broadened.

"The Noemi make great shinobi, huh?" She repeated giddily.

"What're you--?"

Koetso turned her around, and his eyes widened as he saw her mouth. Slighly agape, her tongue could be seen twirling in her mouth, against her teeth, the insides of her cheek. Blades shot out from behind a tree to their right. The Crow flew from its branches, opening its mouth wide. More blades shot from its mouth.

"You've been controlling it with your tongue!!" Koetso cried in surprise, jumping back to evade the first volley of kunai.

"_**Bitch**_!!"

In his haste, he released Yuri.

"A Genin mistake," she mumbled, fliping her hands out on front of her.

With her fingers free, she was now able to control the puppet normally.

"I'm not the same weak kunoichi you knew two years ago!" Yuri called.

She wasn't sure who she was speaking to. A part of her knew that she just needed the reaasurance herself.

Koetso swore aloud, before leaping out of the way of the next wave of kunai. He brought back his fist, and used the Crow's head to propel himself over the puppet. With a deft move, he laid Yuri out on her back, coughing from the direct blow. A smirk crossed his features, but vanished when Yuri vaporated in a wisp of smoke. But the puppet continued to manuver, chasing the shinobi down with blades wielded. His eyes scanned the tower beside him, the trees, and even the sky. He stopped for only a second to search for the puppeteer, but that was his mistake. The Crow soared through the air, closing the space between them in a moment, slashing its blades and sliced through his throat. He gagged and dropped to his knees, clutching at the gash, blood pouring from the wound. Instantaneously, all of his energy seemed to be sapped from his entire body. The Crow jumped back, watching him carefully, just like its master. It didn't take long for Koetso to give in to the severity of his wound. Just a fraction of a centimeter lower, and it would have been a direct strike to the jugular.

_"Looks like the Crow's poison is taking hold of his body,"_ Yuri observed from her perch on a nearby branch.

She crouched down, jumping from the tree. Moving closer to him, she saw that his eyes and mouth were wide open. His eyes were little more than pinpricks, rolling around in his head madly. It was beginning to appear that the poison that Kankurou had supplied her with was a bit different than what he usally gave her to use.

-------

_Kankurou held out his hand, producing a small vial in his palm._

_"This particular poison causes blindness in its victims," He announced proudly, as if he'd invented it himself._

_"A poison that causes blindness?" Yuri repeated incredulously, leaning in to get a closer look at the substance._

_"Right. It's called wood alcohol, but its drawback is that it takes quite a bit to take effect on an opponent. Too much to be administer in just one dosage."_

_"How much?"_

_"Ten mililiters."_

_"That's not a lot."_

_"It is to put on one blade alone."_

_"Oh... Kankurou-sensei?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Can I take some of that with me to use during the exams?"_

_Kankurou laughed, quickly shaking his head._

_"No way! This stuff is too advanced for the likes of you!!"_

------

Yuri smiled to herself, gazing down at her defeated oppnent. She reached down, patting down his pockets for possessions and, then took his shinobi tools, which she also knew contained the ninja scroll and the monkey charm that they'd stolen from the Stone shinobi. Koetso was having enough trouble breathing, let alone trying to fend of being ransacked. Walking over to the tiger statue, she pulled the tiger charm from her fishnet, pressing it into the mouth of the striped cat. With a reassuring click, the fountain's flow of water immediately ceased, and the tiger reared back almost mechanically, the fountain shifted aside, and a stairway was opened up in the ground. She pulled the Crow over her shoulders, turning around to see the ground's door beginning to close once again. As she watched Koetso lay on the ground, writhing in pain, she had second thoughts about leaving him there. It occured to her that he was younger than she, by a few years.

_"If I just leave him as is, he'll die..."_

However, her legs forbade her to move. As the doors seperated them forever, she blamed her immobility on her thoughts of Oboro's training, his way of saying,

_"You're a shinobi, you have to pick your battles. There's no more half-assing your way through the path you've chosen. When you engage yourself in battle, you have to make a snap decision: whose life is more important to you-- yours or theirs?"_

The room she found herself in was completely black. Suddenly, the room lurched, and she was jerked out of her mental conversation with Oboro. In a moment's time, she was wisked away to the next area via darkened elevator. Memories of the last time she attempted the Chuunin exams flooded back to her-- entering the final exam stage, carried by Shikamaru, only to be taken out of the running by Gaara. He'd almost taken her out of the running again, and if it hadn't been for Shikamaru's "pep talk", he would have succeeded. She wondered if because her two "teammates" were rendered 'out-of-commision', if she'd be disqualified. One was dying in front of the tower, and the other was blindly scouring the terrain for a shinobi and her puppet that weren't there. The doors opened once again, and she was greeted by Gaara and Kankurou. Gaara eyed her cautiously, while Kankurou's face broke into a grin.

"You did it!!" He cheered.

Kankurou approached her earnestly, his arms open wide, and wrapped her up in a bear hug that she didn't return.

"Kankurou-sensei..." Yuri tried to begin skeptically.

"Oh wow, look at you," He chuckled, pulling away from her to examine her at arm's length.

"You look like shit, Yuri."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Where's those two teammates of yours?"

She bowed her head, biting her lip. Yuri saw Gaara approaching her through her bangs.

"It turns out that... You may not believe me, but--"

"Spit it out," The Kazekage commanded.

Yuri raised up her head, gazing the Kazekage square in the eyes.

"They were Sound spies. I overheard them whispering during the course of the examination, and waited until the opportune moment to assult them. As it turned out, I needn't have worried about it, becuase _they _were the ones who assulted _me_."

Kankurou took a step back from her, his grin quickly fading.

"And you took care of these _spies_?" Gaara demanded.

"One, yes," She replied bitterly, in a voice she almost didn't recgonize as hers.

"The other is still searching the examination grounds for me and the puppet."

"You fled from battle?" Kankurou scoffed, as if angry at the idea that any pupil of his had turn tail and ran from a fight.

"No, he and his accomplice split up."

The Kazekage pursed his lips, deciding on a course of action.

"I will dispatch a team to find him immediately," He concluded.

"Give me a brief description of the shinobi."

For a moment, Yuri hesitated. She fumbled with her words as she became protective over the child that this cold Kazekage would surely ordain to be killed on sight. Then, she imagined what the scenario would have been if the tables were turned, and it had been _her _that had been defeated...

_"It was tragic, Lord Kazekage...!"_

_"Kankurou, we're so sorry for your pupil, Shikmaru-senei, I'm sorry...!"_

_"We barely escaped with our own lives...!"_

They would not have shared the same sympathy...

"...He's a short, blue-eyed, black haired boy, who is tempermental and defensive..."

"Alright. Kankurou, you heard her. Assemble a squad to eliminate him."

"Right."

Kankurou turned on heel and sprinted off down the corridor.

"Lord Kazekage..."

Gaara vaguely acknowledged her with a fleeting glance to let her know he was listening as he watched his older brother disappear.

"There's something else you should know... about the connection between Orochimaru and me."

Now she had his undivided attention. Where a week ago, her knees buckled under this intense stare of his, she now felt nothing. She wondered when this had changed...

"Koet-- I mean, the spy that I defeated in the examination grounds," She began, still avoiding the word "kill",

"Told me that Orochimaru wants me for my kekkei genkai."

Gaara arched an eyebrow at this new found information.

"You have a kekkei genkai?"

"I know what you must be thinking, but I didn't even know about it until Koet-- the spy brought it to my attention."

"How can you not know that you have a kekkei genkai?"

Yuri bit her lip again. The skin was beinning to peel. She decided to approach him at another angle.

"My surname is Noemi."

If the name rang any bells in his mind, she couldn't tell. After several moments of silence, he spoke.

"The clan that heals its wounds naturally at three times its normal regeneration rate. It would make sense, considering the injuries I gave you. Unlike Lee, you didn't even require anything remotely close to surgery."

"Yes," Yuri breathed, relieved he knew what she was talking about.

"I thought that clan was wiped out several years ago."

"No, I am the last of their lineage," She whispered.

She hadn't been aware of how painful it was to say that she was _alone _again. For the past few months, she'd been happy to say that Oboro was her _brother_. But Oboro wasn't her brother; just a guardian. Inhaling slowly, she continued the tale that Koetso had so naively told her.

"Orochimaru plans to use me to graft my bloodline into Sasuke Uchiha, so that the body he will use next can be all that much better for him."

Oboro had already filled her in with the details of the Uchiha, and the Sound village. He even told her about the battle the Sound and Sand had raged against the Leaf after she'd been rendered unconscious.

She watched as Gaara studied her cautiously, almost as if trying to figure out if she was lying or not. As if deciding that lying would've gotten her nowhere, he guestured down the corridor opposite of the one Kankurou had gone.

"If that is all, then go in there and wait with the other Genin."

Yuri nodded, and entered the room that the Kazekage had designated. It didn't come as a shock to her when there were only two other teams there; the test had only started with fourty-some odd members, and if everyone else had run into the trouble that she'd had, it was no wonder they were being picked off like flies. Taking a seat against the wall farthest from the two teams, Yuri leaned her head against the wall and surveyed the other shinobi. The teams were from the Grass and Sound villages. The Grass shinobi all appeared wary and alert, as if they expected to ambushed at any given second. Thier clothes were even filthier than Yuri's. The Sound village, however, were all sleeping. Thier attire was perfectly crisp, as if it had just been ironed. The lone female of the group was sprawled out over the laps of the other two, using them as a temporary mattress. Yuri quickly disregarded them, laying her check against the wall.

As much as she tried, she could not bring herself to catch a wink of sleep. She knew she'd probably kick herself for it later, but her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour. Three more teams had filed in; one from the Sound, one from the Stone, and one from the Sand. It wasn't until Temari entered the room and began giving instructions for the next phase of the examination that the realization that Yuri was the sole Leaf shinobi that had passed the first exam began to take its weight on her.

"Alright, congratulations on passing the First Exam," Temari began.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you outside."

"Wait, aren't you going to go ahead and give us our Final Exam?" One of the Grass shinobi inquired, his eyes shifting back and forth nervously.

"No, not yet," Temari explained.

"We have to give the Kages and lords time to assemble here to spectate on the event."

We all filed near the door, Yuri uneasily shifting from foot as she felt eyes boring into the back of head skull. Turning around, she saw a silver haired shinobi with electric blue eyes making no attempt to hide his staring. Neither of his teammates seemed to notice thier buddy's staring problem, and seemed more interested in _where _they were going than the actual _people _there.

"The Final Exam will be given out in one month from today, "Temari continued as she opened a door leading outside.

Yuri immediately recgonized it as the balcony in which the the sand siblings had stood five days before, giving the rules and regulations of the exam to come. Temari climbed down the ladder attached to the side, and the other shinobi followed suit. Hopping down the last few pegs, someone from the Grass shinobi let out a wild squeal, and all three vaulted right off the top, over Yuri's head. She watched them run to the tall, tanned woman that must've been thier sensei. Flushing, she instantly felt guilty. She hadn't thought of Shikamaru since the examination had began. As if hoping to remedy her guilt, skimmed the tiny in search of her own sensei. However, there was no sign of the Leaf Chuunin. Heaving a sigh, Yuri traced the symbol of the leaf on her arm.

"Oi, Yuri!"

Her head perked up at the sound of her _other _sensei's voice.

"Kankurou-sensei!"

The Jounin jogged up to her, looking much more at ease than when he'd left her last.

"Gaara just filled me in on what's going on," He muttered.

"So... You found--"

"The Sound spy? Yeah, we found him. Wasn't a match for the Sand reinforcements. Found another one lying in front of the tower entrance. Wasn't dead yet, but he was pretty damn close, though. I'm assuming he was the one you took care of?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. Not bad for an amateur. You were a bit to high to be aiming for the jugular, though."

"I know."

"'You know'?" Kankurou repeated, sneering.

"But yet you left him there? Why didn't you finish the bastard off?"

He was quiet a moment longer, when I didn't reply.

"You missed on purpose."

"I'm not yet accustomed to killing in cold blood, Kan--"

"Bullshit," He replied matter-of-factly.

"You're too sensitive a shinobi, Yuri. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you wanted to be shinobi. You can't accept this kind of lifestyle and expect that you won't have to kill somebody somewhere along the line."

"I know, but--"

"No buts," Kankurou interrupted, waving his hand around as if doing that might swat away any indecision Yuri had of murdering.

"Get used to it now, because it won't get any easier for you from here, and you'll be confronted with it again."

Her gazed dropped, and she stared at her toes.

"You gave me the wood alcohol anyways," She found herself saying.

"I thought you said it was too advanced for me."

Kankurou chuckled to himself, and Yuri got the feeling he'd been waiting for an opportunity to be confronted about it.

"Well, I had second thoughts. Besides, looks like you put it to good use with the Crow."

She heaved another sigh. It looked as if Kankurou wasn't going to let her battle with Koetso drop. He was probably waiting on the details of the fight, she knew, but she wasn't in any hurry to spill the beans.

"Yuri," A voice called softly after her.

Her mind reeling, she spun around as Shikamaru advanced on them. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her protectively, pressing his lips to her forehead as as added bonus.

"You made it."

"And you have a great sense of picking out your allies, Nara," Kankurou grumbled.

"The same could be said for you Sand. Who let Yuura secure himself a place in your council while he slaughtered you Black Ops?"

Kankurou seethed. Yuri pressed her hands to Shikamaru's chest, pushing him backwards.

"Don't, you two."

Shikamaru pulled away from Yuri, but still kept his hands of her shoulders as he held her at arm's length. He stared her straight in her eyes.

"I heard all about Entemi and Koestso from Gaara. He also told me about your bloodline."

"Her _**what**_?!" Kankurou sputtered incredulously.

Shikamaru ignored him, gripping Yuri's shoulders tighter.

"We need to have a personal talk later."

"I want in on this, too!" Kankurou butted in, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Get your briefing from your brother," Shikamaru told him coldly.

"I'm not--!"

But his arguements fell on deaf ears, as Shikamaru took Yuri by the hand and led her away to the hotel room.

----

"I told you, you have this exam under control."

"But, I didn't think that meant killing Koetso and Entemi..."

"You don't even know that those were their real names," Shikamaru sneered in disgust.

He'd had a bad feeling about them, but he hadn't acted upon those feelings. And Yuri had almost died as a result. Sighing, he found himself wrapping his arms around her again. This time, Yuri returned the gesture, her fingernails biting into his back. Before he had the chance to realize what was going on, she was crying into the crook of his neck. His heart felt as if it were a thousand pound weight. He'd never seen her cry before, but it wasn't exactly an experience he'd wanted to undergo, either. Stroking her hair, he thought of things to say to cheer her up a bit.

"You barely knew who those two were, Yuri."

"They were _children_, Shikamaru," She argued, muffled by his shirt.

"They tried to kill you."

_"When you engage yourself in battle, you have to make a decision: whose life is more important to you-- yours or theirs?"_

"I don't care what the hell they are," He retorted bitterly.

"After what they did to you, tried to _kill _you, the Sand had better damn well hope they finished off those two. Because if I ever find them walking around anywhere, I will murder them, I swear, I'll--"

A wave of emotion washed over Yuri. Shikamaru's little monologue must've pulled at her heartstrings, because before she'd even stopped crying, she had reached up and pulled his mouth to hers.

As they sat on the couch, Yuri's mind raced. Memories of the bridge years ago flashed before her. Even glimpses of what'd she been thinking came to her. She remembered thinking to herself that she was ready to die. A child of twelve years old. Ready to die for the people she'd only known a month at best.

_"You're too sensitive for shinobi, Yuri."_

_"You're not worthy of the title Chuunin."_

Relutantly, she pulled away from him, brushing a finger over his lips.

"Thank you," She whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

Shikamaru nodded, rolling his shoulder in circles, not quite sure what to take of her mood swing. He finally resigned himself to patting her cheek, rising to his feet.

"You need to get some sleep. As much as I hate to admit it, you need to get some training in from Kankurou before the final exams begin in a month. Maybe you could get Temari to teach you a few tricks, too. Whatever'll help."

Yuri nodded, watching him retreat. When the bedroom door closed, her eyes swept across the living room. Eventually, they fell onto the bags of Koetso and Entemi. Just as she felt herself calm down, she felt her throat close up again.

_"Chuunin Exams! Chuunin Exams!! Here I come, for the big bad Chuunin Exams!!"_

_"Shut up, you idiot."_

_"I'll become a Chuunin! And I'll be able to go on all those cool missions Rhuta-chan is able to go on!!"_

Yuri brought her legs to her chest, and cried into her knees. Randomly, out of the blue, she wondered if it had been just a lie to cover up for the lie, or if a 'Rhuta-chan' really existed.


	22. The Kazekage's Resoltion

Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. Still trying to get the series re-written, and once again I find myself lost on the road of life, to steal Kakashi's phrase. It's strange, considering how much I like Kakashi, and yet I don't think I've given him a role even once in either this series or the Gaara series. (ponders thoughfully) I'll have to change that here in the near future.

* * *

"What was it you wanted to see me for?"

"I just wanted to check up on Yuri," Kankurou admitted.

"How is she?"

"Why didn't you just ask her yourself?" Shikamaru asked, scratching the top of his head.

"I knew she wouldn't be honest. You know how she is."

"True."

Shikamaru shuffled along lazily next to his Sand comrade. He yawned loudly into his hand before stuffing them into his pockets.

"I'm worried-"

"Of course you are," Kankurou interrupted.

"I'd say you were a fool if you weren't."

"Her moping around like she has been isn't healthy."

"She won't pass the Chuunin Exams like this."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"That is the _least _of my worries."

"I understand that. But I didn't train her for her to pull this bullshit. I went back on my word _twice _during the course of one exam. I told her she wasn't ready to use my puppets and my poisons. It's really starting to look like I was right."

Shikamaru bristled, stopping in his tracks as he turned to glare at the Sand shinobi. Kankurou halted a few paces ahead of him, turning to the Leaf ninja, glowering at him as if daring him to argue.

"Don't act as if you know Yuri, 'cause you don't."

It was Kankurou's turn to begin seething.

"So maybe I don't know Yuri as well as you do," He admitted,

"But I know how _shinobi _should be. If she's having second thoughts about killing other people, she never should have chosen this path. Yuri knew what she was getting herself into when she signed up for this, so now she has an important choice to make. If she really has _that _much against murdering others, especially if they tried to kill her first, she should back out now."

The Nara closed his eyes, already realizing everything Kankurou was trying to tell him.

"If there's anything that Ajiamoe chick should've taught Yuri, it was how to guiltlessly take a life."

Shikamaru's eyes shot back open, and he clentched his teeth.

"Just shut your mouth," He snapped.

"I can talk to Yuri. She'll listen to me more than anyone else."

"And you think heart-to-hearts are your specialty?" Kankurou laughed bitterly.

"More so than your brother."

"_What_?"

Kankurou's fists were clentching and unclentching themselves, the muscles in his jaw flexing.

"I heard about how Gaara tried to lay it on Yuri about how she wasn't going to survive the Chuunin Exams."

"That doesn't give you the right to say _shit _about Gaara!"

Shikamaru rose an eyebrow, and deemed the arguement pointless. All he was doing was pissing Kankurou off, and not to mention, himself. He noticed how red the Sand shinobi's face was now, and wondered how many insults he was from clocking Shikamaru in the face. It couldn't have been too many, because Shikamaru himself was considering how it might feel to lay into Kankurou just one good time.

"We should both go and talk to her," He finally suggested.

Kankurou's defensive demeanor lowed momentarily, flattening his palms against his pants.

"Both of us?"

"Yeah. Arguing with one another isn't getting us anywhere, and it's stupid, since ultimately, we both want the same thing for Yuri."

Nodding, Kankurou stepped towards Shikamaru.

"Right. So, I take it she's at the quarters right now?"

"She was still sleeping when I left."

His brow furrowed, and Kankurou opened his mouth to point out that Yuri had always been a morning person, but Shikamaru beat him to it.

"Yeah, yeah. We've got a bit of work to do. It's going to be a total drag, but I won't have her going and getting herself killed in the Finals."

The two shinobi walked in silence back to where the two Leaf had been stationed in the Sand. Upon opening the front door, Shikamaru frowned. Yuri's tools and scrolls, which she left laying on the coffee table in the living room last night, were gone. Sure enough, when he opened her bedroom door, her blankets were folded neatly on her pillow, the bed empty.

"She isn't here?" Kankurou asked needlessly.

"Where'd she go?"

* * *

The Kazekage watched Yuri carefully, his arms folded across his chest. Almost sick to her stomache under the weight of his stare, she finally laid her chopsticks down and pushed her plate away from her. Gaara arched an eyebrow in silent question.

"Why'd you bring me out like this?" She finally blurted before he could speak.

"To congratulate you," Came his simplistic reply.

"Did you treat everyone who passed the exam to the honor of breakfast with the Kazekage?"

Gaara hesitated, before letting his arms fall, resting his hands on his lap.

"No," He finally confessed.

"Then, why are you--?"

"To congratualte you," He repeated.

"And... I felt I owed you a personal apology. Lee from the Leaf has forgiven me, but you... I do not wish for such bitterness between myself and that of my allies."

"That's very noble of you," Yuri commented sincerely.

He silently dismissed the compliment.

"As well, you should know... You were not the only Genin I tried to talk out of taking the exams."

Yuri leaned forward, attentive.

"The dwindling turnout this year... It makes sense, now."

The Kazekage nodded solemnly.

"I spoke to every Genin applicant. As you've seen, I upset several."

"That was hardly called for."

"But it was," Gaara continued, his raspy voice tinged with pride.

"Essentially, _that _was the first test."

"What...?"

"There were in fact three tests Genin had to pass. The second was obviously the maze. The first, however, was being able to comprehend the information they're told."

Understanding washed over Yuri as she had a sudden feeling of deja vu.

"You used the technique that Ibiki proctor used against us. The decision to take the exams, despite what you were trying to convince them to do, was the correct answer to the first test."

Gaara nodded solemnly.

"I did not know the abilities that every single shinobi had. There was no way I could have known the skills and the limits of every shinobi enrolled. If they couldn't take my blind criticism, then I was right about them to begin with. They _aren't _worthy of the title shinobi, let alone Chuunin."

Yuri chewed her bottom lip, recalling how easily _she'd _caved under the Kazekage's words. Of course, the Kazekage had no way of knowing, but if it hadn't been for Shikamaru talking her out of resigning, she too wouldn't be here.

"Also..." Gaara continued, interrupting her thoughts.

"Questionable worthiness was not the only reason I spoke to every candidate individually. Shortly before the start of the exams, I was approached, and _threatened_, by the Sound."

"Threatened?" Yuri repeated in disbelief.

"Aren't the Sand supposed to allied with the Sound?"

"Temporarily," The Kazekage droned bitterly, which made Yuri wonder how much longer peace could withstand with such flimsy trust.

"They claimed that were after a single candidate enrolled to take the exams. Threatening that they'd openly attack my village if I interfered, I found my approach to the first test perfect considering my situation. I took the opportunity to try to cause several Genin to back down, and hoped that the applicant that they were after would be one of them."

Gaara stared pointedly at Yuri, but by this point, she'd already caught on to what he had been implying.

"It is now clear to me _who _that candidate was, and that she in fact did _not _back down."

Yuri's gaze dropped down to her hands, folding themselves in her lap.

"You are in more danger than any other candidate enrolled. I still have to decide the opponents for the finals, as they will not be chosen at random given the circumstances--"

"Give me one of the Sound ninja that are after me, please!"

"Absolutely not."

"But Lord Kazekage--!"

Gaara waved his hand dismissively.

"I will give them opponents with the best capabilities of knocking them out of the running. Of course, just because they are diqualified, that alone will not ensure that they won't go ahead and assult you anyways."

When Yuri's gaze returned to his face, their eyes locked, and she instantly knew that there would be no negotiating with him.

"I will protect my village, and I will protect you. But I will not always be around. Neither will Kankurou or Shikamaru. And when push comes to shove, will you be able to preserve your own existence by killing your enemies?"

Yuri's mind flashed back to Koetso, writhing on the ground in agony as he clutched at his throat, at the pain of the poison in his bloodstream, the poison _she _injected him with. Her heart sank, wondering for the hundredth time how swiftly death had come for Entemi. The only reason she felt she'd been able to defend herself against those two was because she'd had forewarning of their intentions. She'd overheard them talking about how they'd finish her. As if reading her mind, the Kazekage spoke again.

"You held back on them because of the bonds you shared with them. You were lucky that even with you holding back, you were still skilled enough to elude and defeat them. But you cannot keep that mindset in the face of a real enemy. They will murder you, and then they will think nothing more of you. This is the one and only way of the shinobi."

Gaara glowered solemnly at her, but Yuri's jaw slackened when she saw genuine concern in his eyes. She wondered if his persistence in the matter had something to do with his own death at the hands of the Akatsuki not too long ago. Perhaps the experience had given him a great deal of appreciation for life in general, and not just necessarily his own.

"I understand," She finally submitted quietly.

Gaara nodded, but he didn't seem to be convinced. He kept his eyes locked onto her.

"Continue to train with Kankurou. Train as much as possible before the exams and learn some new techniques, for I am not so easily impressed."

"Alright, Lord Kazekage..."

He rose to his feet, deserting his untouched food, and silently paid for both meals as he left the restaurant.

_"I won't disappoint him... I can't afford to..."_

* * *

Yuu knelt down beside her, bringing a lit match to the candle wick at her bedside. Airi frowned at the sky outside, wringing her hands neverously.

"He didn't come back last night?"

"...No."

Airi sighed in irritation, swinging her legs around the side of the bed.

"What could be keeping him? I'm starting to get worried..."

"Don't," Yuu replied dully, rising to his feet.

He brushed his fingers across the windowsill, frowning at the dust and sand they collected.

"Willow's strong. He won't be taken advantage of that easily."

He turned to face her, watching as blood began to trickle from the lip she was chewing she furiously.

"You should feel ashamed that you don't have more confidence in him. He's probably just out for some reconnaissance."

Airi exhaled curtly, licking her chapped lips in frustration.

"He's probably out looking for that Leaf bitch."

"Yuri?"

"Whatever, I don't care what her name is."

She growled and laid back down on the back, turning so that her back faced Yuu.

"She's all my Willow ever wants to talk about."

"It's because she's all the mission requires. You know... It's not that Willow has a thing for the girl. Lord Orochimaru will reward us handsomely the better we do. It has nothing to do with how he feels about you."

Airi smiled, suddenly confident.

"I guess you're right. After all, it's pointless to be jealous of a girl who will soon be dead, right?"


End file.
